You may be currently unemployed. Or you may be dissatisfied with your job. Whatever the reason, you are planning on looking for a new position. And you are about to embark on the daunting job search. Before you dive in, however, and start sending out resumes, you need to do a little planning and put a strategy in place.

A little planning can go a long way toward saving you time and effort. Here are a few tips on getting prepared for the job search.

1. Set some goals

This is the first thing you need to do. You need to step back and look at the big picture. Take a look at where you are and where you want to go. What do you need to do to get there? What exactly do you want to achieve with your job search? Try to be as specific as possible, and make sure to write things down.

After you have established your big-picture goals, think about some short-term goals – benchmarks to shoot for as you do your job search. For example, decide how many companies you want to research in a certain time frame – day, week or month – how many resumes you want to get out and networking contacts you want to make in that time.

2. Establish priorities

Your goals should help you set up your priorities. What are the most important things you need to tackle first, then second, then third? Stick to those priorities and don’t stray from them just to get a job.

3. Get yourself organized

First, you need to set up a certain time during the day when you will do your job search. During that time, you need to focus just on the search. Do not check your email or surf the web or chat with friends or run errands – work on looking for a job.

Think about what else you will need to get organized. Will you need a digital calendar, for example, or a separate email account just for your job search communications?

4. Make a schedule

Set up a schedule for each day outlining what you are going to do, when you are going to do it, and how long you are going to spend doing it. Make sure to record what you get done each day. This will help you to better see what kind of progress you are making and whether you need to change what you are doing.

5. Take advantage of online aids

There a many websites online designed to help people with job searches, everything from job listings to sites that help you set up interviews and apply.

If you are looking for work, start your job search with Arrow Staffing. Arrow is one of the leading staffing firms in the Inland Empire, with the resources and network to find the right job for you. Give Arrow a call today.