How to Use Metrics in Your Work Search

Metrics are measurements. In the business world, metrics are becoming increasingly valuable to companies for tracking purposes. They help determine a business' strengths and weaknesses, allow for accurate forecasting, and even departmental productivity.

Job seekers and the fully employed alike can borrow a page from companies to track and forecast their professional lives. Tracking professional metrics can help you find work more efficiently, perform better at work and may even help you earn a higher wage.

There are a number of metrics you could track, but tracking too many will take too much time. The key is to keep it simple. Here are a few simple ones to track:

Time. Most of us can blow an hour (or more) without even knowing it. How many times have you heard - or said - the phrase, "I don't know where the time went?" Knowing how you spend your time can help you eliminate wasting it. Track your time in your daily planner or PDA for one week. Jot down what you do and for how long. Write it down right after you complete each activity. At the end of the week, divide the activities into categories, then calculate what percentage of your time is spent in each categories. The categories should be simple, as well (e.g. surfing Internet, personal calls, TV, business calls, meetings/interviews, resume/cover letter prep, etc.). You may be surprised by how much time you waste.

Money. Given time equals money, the same tracking mechanism should be used for your monetary expenditures. Track your expenses for one week. Keep track of everything you spend money on (e.g. newspapers, food, entertainment, faxing, gas, double mochas, etc.) Like time, you'll likely find wasted money.

Competition. Here, the phrase, "know thy enemy" comes to mind. How does your education stack up against others in your field? How does your salary compare with others locally and nationwide? Compare your performance and contributions at work with your co-workers. Conduct informational interviews. Take this data and boil it down to numbers. Where are you compared to those you're competing against? You may find you're paid less than others in a similar job - and this info can be used for leverage in obtaining a raise. You may find proof that those who earn more have more education or have contributed more on the job - which should provide incentive to either work harder or work toward another degree.

Employer. This metric may help you set time frames to your professional goals. How long has the person above you had the job? And the one before? And before that? Knowing how long the last few people above you have held their position can be a good indicator as to when the current person will leave the position. This helps you forecast when you need to be ready to seize the opportunity. Tracking where your company stands in the marketplace and where it's headed can also indicate whether you should stay or seek other employment.

Mood. While listed last and the most easily tracked, it is far from the least important metric. Keep track of your mood every two hours for a week. A simple happy/sad/neutral system will do. You will find trends in your moods (e.g. sad in morning, happy just before lunch, neutral mid-afternoon, etc.). You can cross-reference this data against those for your time and money to determine what you're excited about (or not) and how your mood affects your expenditures. Tracking your mood metric can also help you plan activities better (e.g. do your least favorite things when you're typically happy can inject energy into the projects, while doing your favorite things while you're sad can boost your mood).

IN A NUTSHELL: Tracking simple professional metrics can improve your job search and professional life.