Time’s up!

Several times in my career, I’ve set deadlines for my goal of landing a new job and made that new position happen. Previously, I shared with you my two-year time frame to land an executive position in the government. Today, I’m going to share with you how I landed my first government job within my one-year goal.

I was a litigation attorney in private practice, billing every six minutes of my life, wondering if this was the life I was destined to live. My patient husband was at home, spending evenings by himself, wondering the same thing. One January, I found myself thinking about what I would do if I wasn’t in private practice. I set my sights on a federal government job as it promised better work-life balance and I didn’t have to take another bar exam to practice in the federal government. I gave myself a year to secure that position. I became focused on researching the application process for the federal government, perfecting my resume and cover letter, and honing my interview skills. I even flew from California to DC and back in 24 hours, just five days before starting a federal court jury trial, to interview for a position that ultimately became my first federal government position. You won’t be surprised that I was offered the job in July, but didn’t start until January, as the position required a top secret clearance and, as with most things in the government, it all goes through a cumbersome process. Almost exactly a year from my goal setting, I started my new job with the federal government. I would never have dedicated so much time and focus to a goal had I not set a deadline to get it done.