MindMapping can help your job search plans!
My mind is a whirl of great ideas running around out of control. “Wow, look at that!” “Gee, I can do that!” Lots of exclamation points in my head and in my writing!! The challenge is getting that energy out of my head and into action.
I am always looking for an orderly way to get the thoughts out of our heads and on to paper so I can put my ideas into action. Mind mapping works for me.
I use mind maps when I prepare for speaking engagements or workshops. I also use mind maps to organize The Interview Doctor. You are thinking to yourself, “What the heck are you talking about”?
According to Mind Mapping, “Mind mapping is a highly effective way of getting information in and out of your brain. Mind mapping is a creative and logical means of note-taking and note-making that literally ‘maps out’ your ideas.”
The illustration in this blog is a mind map I created to organize my thoughts about finding a job. Maybe this can be useful to you? We have so many opportunities for action that it is hard to keep ourselves organized. Similarly, there are so many opportunities for action as I build a business and guide clients. I am constantly seeking a better way to organize all these opportunities into coherent action. Enter mind maps.
The goal is the big orange ball in the middle. In this case, the goal is to get the job you want, whether that is a new career, a promotion or a new position. Then coming off the center goal are the actions related to achieving the goal. In this case, the actions are:
1. Decide what you want
2. Create a job search marketing plan to get organized
3. Get the tools you need
4. Know where to find what you want
5. Understand what you are willing to do to get what you want
6. Know what to say when you have the opportunity to talk about yourself
From these “themes” are actions that can have sub-topics below them.
Since we can’t work on everything at once, a mind map can help us select which area we want to focus on at any given time. We can build structure into our lives (or in this case into our job searches) by picking one thing to work on at a time.
Let’s say we want to work on Creating a Job Search Marketing Plan. Perhaps on Monday morning you allocate 3 hours to making a written plan. That means during that time you will not be checking social media, pinning interesting recipes on Pinterest or chatting with your neighbor on the phone. If you will be working on a written plan, you won’t be checking LinkedIn or making appointments or submitting applications.
You can only do one thing at a time. By focusing during specific times of the day on the specific tasks that move your job search forward, you will be more productive and get more done. You can move your job search forward by using your time wisely. Get started today!!
If you want help knowing what to include in your job search plans, check out our free Job Search training mini course. Learn the ins-and-outs of a modern job search! Gone are the days of classified ads and online job search at sites like Indeed and Career Builder aren’t much better. Discover a proven path to finding your ideal job or career with these lessons — 5 Tips to a Successful Job Search.