We all need to earn money and provide for the ones we love. There are times when you may have to take work that is less than ideal, but never lose sight of your long-term goals. Doing so will allow you to avoid getting stuck in one place. You will always be moving forward, so you will already have your foot in the door to help you move your career along.
People who only focus on the fact that they have to earn a living will have a difficult time getting back on track later.
Think ahead and don’t become discouraged by your short-term situation. At the very least, stay involved with trade associations or do volunteer work that has to do with your career track.
You may also want to look into consulting work.
Here are some ways to keep your long-term goals in front of you:
- Develop a target list of organizations to contact. This is your Personal Marketing Plan.
- When you contact them, use the GetFive approach to influencing letters
- Tell them you are interested in consulting assignments.
- Follow up with a phone call!
- Many who regularly do consulting work find that the secret is to continually market themselves. We recommend a quarterly mailing or emailing campaign to approximately 200 to 400 good leads. In this mailing, your cover letter should describe the projects you have been working on and suggest people call you if they would like similar help from you.
Yes, this does involve some extra work and can be challenging if you are busy just trying to earn a paycheck. But to keep body and soul together, we all need to work toward our bigger career goals.
