So now you've chosen a career and figured out what you have to offer employers. You must feel relieved. After all, you're on your way to getting a job. Not so fast! Yes, it's true that you have taken a huge step toward getting a job, but your work has only just begun. Getting a job is hard work. The job search is, in fact, a job in itself. As in any job, you must be organized in order to succeed. The first thing you need to do to organize your job search is set goals. A goal is something you want to achieve. There are two kinds of goals: long-term goals and short-term goals.

Long-term Goals

Long-term goals are those that could take three to five years to achieve. Your long-term goals will change over time depending on where you are in your career. If you've chosen to pursue a career for which you must get additional training and education, then a long-term goal might be to get a job in your field after you fulfill those requirements. If you already have all the necessary requirements, a long-term goal may be to advance to a top position in your field.

Short-term Goals

Short-term goals are generally achievable within a few months to a year. Taking the examples from the previous section, if you want to pursue a career for which you need additional training and education, a short-term goal may be finishing that education and training if that can be done relatively quickly, or it may be simply registering for and beginning to take courses. If you already meet the requirements to start working, your short-term goals will include finding a job in your field.

You can then break the short-term goal of finding a job into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces would include writing your resume, finding job openings, writing cover letters, and applying for jobs.