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How To Measure Job Search Success

How do you measure your job search success? It all lies in asking the right questions. Kevin Donlin discusses how to get your metrics rolling.

By Kevin Donlin, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: July 8, 2008 - 1:44 PM

Yesterday, I was reading the book, "Make Success Measurable," by Douglas K. Smith, and it reminded me of a management mantra they have at FedEx (and other innovative companies): You can't improve what you don't measure.

This got me thinking about job hunting …

Here's the thought: What parts of your job search do you measure?

If you're thinking, "Huh?" or "I don't measure anything," you are like a dieter who doesn't own a scale – how can you know if you're succeeding?

The answer lies in questions. Specifically, if you ask the right questions, you'll get the right answers needed to measure – and improve – your job search.

So, to get you started, here are three questions to ask yourself at the end of each day …

Question 1: How many networking phone calls did I make today?

Write the number down. Are you happy with it? Did you make 15 phone calls, for example? Good. Reward yourself appropriately, write down what you did to achieve that goal, then repeat it tomorrow.

Not happy with the number of calls you made? Think back to a day when you were happy, when you were "hot" on the phone, and talked to a lot of people. How did you do it? Whatever you did that worked before, repeat it tomorrow.

What if you've NEVER had a good day making networking calls? I would suggest that this is impossible -- and I can prove it to you.

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