A layoff is an extremely difficult time, both financially and emotionally, and I want to lessen the pain and anguish for you. This article will explore one incredibly valuable strategy to shortening your layoff time. Simply do one thing: Focus.

Determine exactly what you want in your next job. Realize that you are not just looking for a job; you are looking for a very specific job. That is why you need to be extremely focused, detailed, and targeted to shorten your layoff time.

Open to Failure

All too often my clients say they are "open" or "flexible." But being open is an ineffective job strategy. People in job transition feel that they need to be flexible. They might think, "I don’t want to limit myself." But the hiring process simply does not work that way. A decision maker has a position to be filled, a need to be met, or a problem to be solved. His or her job is to solve the company’s problem by finding a person with a specific skill set, education, or experience that meets the company’s needs. Human resources professionals do not have the time to translate your "flexibility" into something that fits the needs of their company.

Just recently I was working with a client in determining her career aspirations. Only by knowing exactly what she wanted could I begin to help her. I worked to make her more focused on getting the job she wanted. We repeatedly reviewed her career aspirations, and when we were both happy, I started suggesting companies she should investigate.

When I suggested a couple of firms, however, she immediately replied, "Oh, I’m really looking for a job in Long Beach." Well, I thought, that is fine, but why didn’t you mention that in the beginning? You cannot hit your career target if you don’t know where the target is. Once I knew that she also had a geographic requirement, I was able to be even more focused with my suggestions.

People believe that this strategy of focus is restricting and will limit their opportunities. The truth is exactly the opposite. Think about the times in your life when you needed information. Suppose you had a goal of driving to a friend’s new home to celebrate a house warming. Your friend gave you the address. He knew you needed this specific information to get to your destination. Your friend did not say, "Oh, just drive around until you find my house." You received a specific street address so you could get to where you wanted to go. You need this same focus, this specific and goal-oriented attitude, in your job search.

Objectives You Don’t Want

Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Sometimes my clients say, "I really don’t want to work in telecommunications." That might be all they tell me. Let me demonstrate why focusing on what you don’t want is such a misguided strategy.

Imagine that you walk into a restaurant, and when the waiter approaches, you say, "I don’t want a hamburger." What is the waiter to do? How can he possibly serve you a good meal if you cannot tell him what you want? Your indecisiveness irritates the waiter and frustrates you as well.

Laser-Guided Goals

Focus, focus, and then focus some more. Do not look for "a job in marketing." Look for a marketing job in the consumer products area. No – focus even more. Look for a marketing communications job in the household consumer products area. No – look for a marketing communications job in the household consumer products area in one of ten targeted companies.

The benefits of this focus are efficiency and effectiveness in a targeted job search. By knowing exactly what and where your target is, you can aim directly at it. You know exactly where to focus your time and energy. And when you focus your limited time and energy, you can shorten your job search considerably.

When you are focused, you will know exactly what companies to call upon and where to spend your time networking. You can focus on networking meetings with industry-specific clubs and associations in your geographic area. As you get to know and build relationships with people in a narrow job search, remember that people talk to each other. More and more professionals in your career target zone will learn who you are and what kind of job you are seeking.

Get to know the people in your career target zone. Let them know exactly what you are looking for. There are countless tools out there to help you. If you visit the video section of my website, BuildingAspirations.com, you’ll find links to 30+ career-development video clips that can aid you in your search. Also, you can go to BuildingAspirations.com/FREEstuff.html and enter your email address to receive a free Informational Interview Guide, which even includes a script of what you can say in your initial phone contact in the networking process.

Job searching can be stressful and challenging, even more so if you’ve been hit by a layoff. When you are focused in your job search, however, you can shorten the career transition. Be focused on the type of job you are seeking, the functional area in which you would like to work, and consider geography in your search as well.

Never respond to questions of career goals with "I’m flexible," or "I’m open." I have never heard of a Director of Flexibility or a Manager of Openness.

A focused job search is a shorter job search. Be focused. It is the surest way to minimize your layoff time.