Career Success Center: Implementation

Implementation
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Implementation

Implementing the Plan: Goal Setting - STARS

The process of networking can lead to burnout if not managed effectively. You can deter burnout by setting goals that ensure your stardom. STARS are goals you set for yourself that are:

Specific
Time-bound
Achievable
Realistic
Structured

The results of your networking efforts can be difficult to see; a direct cause and effect relationship is not completely in your control. When you feel like what happens in your life is not in your control, stress builds. In fact, a study was conducted several years ago at Emory University to determine the cause of stress. First, they monitored the stress level of race car drivers as they were speeding at extremely high MPH. Then, they monitored their stress level when they were in the pit getting serviced by the crew.

While it would seem more likely that their stress would be highest on the track, where one wrong move could kill them instantly, they were more stressed in the pit. The researchers concluded that the crew time is the only time the drivers are not in control. It was the only time they were relying on someone else to help them win the race.

The amount of control you possess has a direct connection to the amount of stress you experience in your career search. As a result, the implementation portion of your career search is one of the most difficult aspects of the entire process. When you begin networking and engaging the marketplace, your search is no longer completely in your control. You must rely on the people and conditions around you to support your search efforts. In order to diminish the sense of being out of control in your career search, track your progress through the use of goals that produce STARS.

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