When and How to Revisit Your Job Search Goals, with Kristen McConnell
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Setting and revisiting your job search goals is essential for success, especially in a constantly evolving market. Find Your Dream Job guest Kristen McConnell shares her expert insights on how to approach your job search with focus and flexibility. From emerging professionals to mid-career candidates and passive job seekers, Kristen offers actionable strategies to help you stay proactive and make meaningful progress toward your career objectives.
About Our Guest:
Kristen McConnell is the chief operating officer at Mulberry Talent Partners.
Resources in This Episode:
- Learn more about Kristen by visiting Mulberry Talent Partners
- Connect with Kristen on LinkedIn.
Transcript
Find Your Dream Job, Episode 485:
When and How to Revisit Your Job Search Goals, with Kristen McConnell
Airdate: January 22, 2025
Mac Prichard:
This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.
I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.
Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.
A job search can take several months or even longer.
And as time passes you may need a midcourse correction.
Kristen McConnell is here to talk about when and how to revisit your job search goals.
She’s the chief operating officer at Mulberry Talent Partners.
It’s a boutique recruiting agency that helps clients and candidates find the perfect match.
Kristen joins us from Portland, Oregon.
Well, let’s jump right into it, Kristen. We’re talking about when and how to revisit your job search goals, but let’s start with a definition. When you talk about job search goals, what do you have in mind exactly?
Kristen McConnell:
Well, your goals are such a unique circumstance for each job seeker, and depending on where they’re at in their career; if they’re early career, mid-career, or if they’re just looking for that great sunset opportunity. The goal piece is really something that everyone has to come to their own decision on, so to speak, and determine what makes the most sense to them, and then, once they get to that point, then you develop a plan for your job search. At some point, you have to step back and say, “Do I need to revisit this a little bit? Do I need to make a course correction and what would that look like for me?”
Mac Prichard:
Let’s talk a little bit more about goals. How specific do you recommend the candidates you work with be about this? Are we talking about being clear about the job title you want or perhaps a list of target employers? Is it about making a career move, say a promotion, or maybe a salary? What list do you recommend candidates consider when setting goals?
Kristen McConnell:
I mean, those are all top of the list, most certainly. What do you want to target? For you, is it about making that next step in your career? Are you, maybe, at a manager level looking to move into that director-level space? Are you looking to take what you know and move into a different industry? Say you’ve been in the nonprofit world for many, many years, and you’ve gained a tremendous amount of experience but you want to make that transition into the public sector or work for a private company.
Defining some of those is really critical to help setting up your goals. Absolutely compensation and there are two parts of a compensation goal. There’s “What do I really need in terms of compensation?” And “What do I want to target,” in terms of compensation, and then, we all know there’s the other side of compensation, beyond just what our salary is, but what other rewards are important to me from my employer?
Am I driven by benefits? Am I more driven by a flexible schedule and time off? Really sitting down to, I say, maybe 5 goals is really the best thing to target. Otherwise, if your list gets too long, then you become overly focused in your job search, and it’s not broad enough. Depending on the kind of market we are in, you could really find yourself becoming discouraged and pigeonholed if you have too long of a list.
Mac Prichard:
Consider those attributes that you just laid out. Come up with your top 5 priority goals. What happens, in your experience, Kristen, because you work with a lot of candidates – you’re at a recruiting agency – what happens to the candidates that don’t ask themselves those questions and arrive at answers that might just decide, “Well, I’ll just sit down at the computer and send out applications”?
Kristen McConnell:
Well, we see this show up in 2 different ways. One is, it’s often a passive job seeker who just wants to test and see what’s out there, and that’s a challenging way to approach a job search. If you don’t have something in mind that you are going after, it can really feel overwhelming when you start a job search especially if you’re not working with either a career coach, a professional mentor, a recruiter, or even your own employer, if they’re making changes, and supporting you through a new job search.
We see passive seekers struggle the most when they don’t have a goal in mind for what they’re targeting.
The other area that we see this show up that really proves to be a challenge for someone is when someone finds themself unexpectedly conducting a job search. Maybe they just got word today that their job is being eliminated or a company is closing, maybe it’s a termination, and sometimes candidates will just immediately start reaching out to their network without intention or any clarity, and that can also feel really empty if you do it that way because it’s hard for the person on the other side of that to be able to support that individual in a way that is productive and makes sense.
Oftentimes, we’ll get an email that says, “Hey, my position at my job was eliminated today, do you have anything to run by me?” And we’re like, “Gosh, we don’t even know anything about you. We don’t know what’s important to you, we don’t know what you’re looking for next.”
Making sure that people just take a moment, even a day or two, when you find yourself in an unexpected job search, to jot down some of those goals, like what is next for me and what do I want to focus on?
Mac Prichard:
Okay, so have a list, it doesn’t have to be encyclopedic, but know your top 5 job search goals, and you did a great job of explaining what those goals are to consider.
You’ve done this, you’ve been out there looking for work for some time; what are the signs that a candidate might pay attention to that indicate that maybe it’s time to revisit your job search goals?
Kristen McConnell:
You know, I think about that in three different groups of job seekers.
We have the emerging professionals that are maybe just getting started in their career and they’re really focused on a certain type of opportunity. Maybe they are a recent graduate and have a degree that they want to put to use, and they’ve had a good focus on that type of search, and if you’re sitting there at two months and you’ve gotten very little response back or interactions from potential employers, my recommendation is step back and say, “Instead of the job that I’m after, what kind of company am I looking at? What kind of industries are good for my experience and my interests and where can I get started with that company?”
Be open to those more entry-level roles within an organization because we all know, once we get into a role, if we are going to shine, we are going to shine, and we’re going to make those advancements as quickly as makes sense for an organization.
When you are more advanced in your career, you should expect a search to take a little bit longer, but again, if nothing is happening after three to four months, then you certainly need to step back and reevaluate. A lot of times what we see is a candidate in this circumstance is potentially approaching their search the same way they did maybe 2 3, 4, 5 years ago, and there can be such wild changes in the job market that you have to adjust your search and how you approach it.
Even just thinking about, what level do I need to go in at right now? What makes sense for me? What makes sense for what I can offer to an organization? What might get me to the long-term goal that I am after?
Don’t just rely on the same tactics that you’ve used in the past.
Mac Prichard:
There are three groups here, the first are emerging professionals, recent graduates; the second, it sounds like mid-career, perhaps. Who’s in the third group, Kristen?
Kristen McConnell:
That is the passive job seeker, and those are the individuals that are maybe, every now and then, reaching out to a recruiter or applying for an opportunity here or there. In the back of their mind, they know they’re ready to make a change but they’ve been somewhat passive, but when you start to realize, “I’m really just cruising on autopilot. I’m not engaged. I could, potentially, even be underperforming because I’m not engaged.”
That is absolutely your sign to switch your focus into an active versus passive job search.
Mac Prichard:
Okay, let’s pause there. I want to take a break.
Stay with us.
When we come back, Kristen McConnell will continue to share her advice on when and how to revisit your job search goals.
We’re back in the Mac’s List studio. I’m talking with Kristen McConnell.
She’s the chief operating officer at Mulberry Talent Partners.
It’s a boutique recruiting agency that helps clients and candidates find the perfect match.
Kristen joins us from Portland, Oregon.
Now, Kristen, before the break, we were talking about when and how to revisit your job search goals and you talked in the first segment about the importance of having goals and the difference that it can make in your search.
We talked about when you might see signs that it’s time to revisit your goals. You described three different groups of job seekers: new emerging professionals, mid-career professionals, and passive job seekers.
One last question about whether or not you should revisit your goals – how should you be sure the issue is your goals? Maybe you need to update your resume or tweak your LinkedIn profile. Maybe these tactical things are the reason that you’re not getting any traction in your search.
Kristen McConnell:
Yeah, having a revisit to your resume is always beneficial, and utilizing your professional network for that, not overutilizing it, by any means, but if you have a mentor or a colleague that just is willing to take a look and see what stands out to them. A question that I would ask is, “If you saw my resume today, what type of opportunity would you consider me for?”
See what stands out as how are you presenting in terms of your skills and experience. What is showing up for other individuals? The same thing on your LinkedIn, having that present in the way that you want it to, that highlights your skills and experience but then also dives into where does your path want to lead you.
Mac Prichard:
It’s time, you think, for a midcourse correction, and you want to revisit your goals. Let’s walk through the tips you recommend people follow to do this.
One of your first suggestions is, don’t panic and reach out to others for help, just as you described a moment ago that you might do with your resume. What are other ways you might do this, Kristen?
Kristen McConnell:
You know, take a look at what was once off the table for you, something you were not willing to consider, and go back and take another look at that. I think that one of the most common is considering some contract, interim, temporary opportunities. We have seen, so many times, candidates approach and say, “Gosh, I’ve been in the market now for 3-4 months. I’m just not making any headway. What are my options?”
Six out of ten times, if a candidate jumps into a contract role that is currently vacant, there’s no better place to be than sitting in that seat when the client is then ready to move forward with a full-time hire. It just is a really great way to get yourself back out there, it builds your professional network, and it reinstills your confidence, and it keeps your skills fresh.
Mac Prichard:
Another recommendation that you have for revisiting your goals is to know your pressure points. What do you mean by pressure points and how is this going to help you?
Kristen McConnell:
I think your pressure points, it’s so different for everybody, maybe you have a very long search runway, maybe you’re still employed, or you were exited with a really nice severance package that gives you room, or maybe you’re an individual that just has immediate financial and family obligations and you need to get back to work right away.
Take a look at, what is your pressure point? What do I need from a job and then what do I want in a job, and maybe you’re conducting two job searches, parallel to one another, not every job will be your forever job and it’s okay to take a bridge opportunity, and see where that takes you.
Mac Prichard:
You mentioned finances as a pressure point, you might have a severance package, maybe you didn’t get one, maybe there are bills that are looming. Are there other examples of pressure points that you’ve seen candidates wrestle with?
Kristen McConnell:
Absolutely, another one is that some people just know that they are going to be mentally better off working, than not working. Even if maybe they have a great severance package and they have the opportunity to be on unemployment and take time to conduct their search, they know, at the end of the day, they’re going to be better to themselves by simply working vs. not working.
Mac Prichard:
What about self-assessment, Kristen? It’s important, obviously, throughout life to revisit what we’re doing, but sometimes people might take that to extremes during a job search. How often do you recommend someone do a self-assessment?
Kristen McConnell:
I think that when you get started with your search, have those target goals. “When do I ideally want to land into a new position? How many jobs do I want to apply for each week?” Look back at that, maybe every week, maybe every other week, and say, “Okay, how am I doing on this?”
Keep in mind the time of year. There’s going to be periods of the year when activity is really slow, around major holidays, and how that may impact a job search, but giving yourself that self-reflection period and also a little bit of grace to evaluate is important, but if you don’t have a target and some goals, you’ll flounder and you’ll find that you’re waiting for things to come your way, vs. proactively going after them.
Mac Prichard:
You mentioned sending a number of job applications every week, I’m curious, I’m guessing that you’d recommend quality over quantity. It’s not just a numbers game, is it?
Kristen McConnell:
Absolutely, we always say, “Don’t angry apply.” Don’t apply to every single thing out there; it’s going to leave you feeling very dissatisfied. Certainly have a target, and that might be for you, maybe you’re the kind of thing that individual that says, “I’m really interested in these 5 companies. I’m going to focus on roles within these organizations.” Or I’m the kind of individual that has a really unique skillset so I’m going to focus on job titles out there within this area.
Play around with job titles. You know, what one company might call something is different than what another company calls something. Try to be broad in your search within looking at different ways that you can describe a position, and also, keep that in mind with your resume. Make sure that some of those keywords are embedded throughout so that you get picked up on different searches.
Mac Prichard:
You also recommend that when considering revisiting job search goals to get feedback, particularly if you’re not getting second interviews or job offers when you reach that final stage. What kind of feedback do you recommend and how do you get it?
Kristen McConnell:
It’s tough, we know that, and I will say, if you are working with a recruiter, this can often be easier to get feedback because the recruiter also needs feedback to meet those client needs, but trying to understand, “Am I articulating my achievements in a way that’s understandable for the hiring manager? Was I speaking language from my former company?” Maybe using too many acronyms that don’t apply to a different company. Just doing your best to capture even one or two tidbits from that hiring manager, if they’re willing to share it.
We know there’s nothing more frustrating than saying, “Oh, you were great, but we went with another individual. There must be a reason that they went with the other individual, and trying to get that feedback is really critical. I think that sometimes sending a LinkedIn follow-up message to a hiring manager can be a really effective way to do that. It’s less invasive than coming right into someone’s inbox, I think.
Mac Prichard:
You’re a recruiter, and when you get requests for feedback from candidates, what are the kinds of questions you wish candidates would ask when asking for that feedback?
Kristen McConnell:
A good question could be, “Is there something I could have done differently to highlight my experience? Is there a different way that I should showcase my skillset around this particular function?” Because some roles are so technical, some are more soft skills.
I think just trying to capture a couple of specific things. If we ask too broad of a question of someone, then that puts a lot of work on that individual to determine how to best give feedback. Maybe asking something more specific can be helpful for that person providing feedback.
Mac Prichard:
Many people in the middle of a job search may think, I’m not going to get the senior position that I want, I need to find a position now, and should I consider taking either a lateral move or even a step-down?
How do you recommend someone revisit that idea in considering their goals?
Kristen McConnell:
You know, practice positioning yourself for a different level of role because what we all know is someone may pass up on a candidate because they feel that they’re overqualified or that they won’t be engaged, so really practice your response to that or why you are interested in the company itself and what you can do to bring value to their organization. Also, highlight where you will gain value.
Maybe you’ve been in a very strategic role and you want to get back into the more tactical work, you want to make sure that your skills remain fresh and you have the value to bring to the organization but you, too, will gain and be engaged, which makes for a great new hire.
Mac Prichard:
Well, it’s been a terrific conversation, Kristen. Now, tell us, what’s next for you?
Kristen McConnell:
Well, at Mulberry, I’ll say what’s next for us, we are really strategically working on developing relationships and opportunities that will allow us to better support our C-level and executive-level candidates in their job search. We know that that can sometimes be a more challenging approach sometimes in how to go after those. We’re looking to expand our footprint in the different companies that we’re working with to better support all levels of job seekers.
Mac Prichard:
Listeners, I know, can learn more about you and Mulberry Talent Partners by visiting the Mulberry Talent Partners website, and you also invite listeners to connect with you on LinkedIn.
We’ll include links for both your company website and your LinkedIn page in the show notes. When people do reach out to you there, Kristen, I hope they’ll mention that they heard you on Find Your Dream Job.
Now, given all of the great advice you’ve shared today, what’s the one thing you want a listener to remember and when and how to revisit your job search goals?
Kristen McConnell:
Don’t take your eye off the ball and listen to your gut. If your gut is telling you you should be getting more activity, then make the adjustment. Don’t keep waiting and stay passive.
Mac Prichard:
Next week, our guest will be Danielle Cobo.
She’s a career consultant who works with medical sales professionals.
Her company’s services include resume writing, LinkedIn optimization, and interview preparation.
Many job seekers do nothing else when looking for work but apply for jobs.
And if this is all you do, you’re making your search longer and harder than it needs to be.
Join us next Wednesday when Danielle Cobo and I talk about how to attract your next job without applying online.
Until next time, thanks for letting us help you find your dream job.
This show is produced by Mac’s List.
Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media.
Our sound engineer and editor is Matt Fiorillo. Dawn Mole creates our transcripts. And our music is by Freddy Trujillo.
This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.