User Guide: Goals, Tasks & Focus Time

This guide explains how to use Kandid.pro's Goal Setting and Task Management system to turn your career ambitions into measurable outcomes.

The Benefit: From Momentum to Outcomes

A successful job search requires more than just high activity; it requires a focused strategy. The Goal and Task system helps you:

Define Success: Move beyond abstract "momentum" by setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals.
Track Progress Automatically: Stop manually updating spreadsheets. The platform analyses your actual activity—like applications sent and leads contacted—to update your progress in real-time.
Maintain Focus: Use dedicated "Focus Time" sessions to block out distractions and work on the tasks most critical to your active goals.
Stay Accountable: Receive notifications for milestones, upcoming deadlines, and overdue tasks to keep your search on track.

How to Use the Goal & Task System

1. Creating SMART Goals

Navigate to the "Goals & Tasks" section of the application.

Click "Create Goal".
Define Your Target: Choose from five goal types:
- Applications Created: Track how many tailored applications you've submitted.
- Leads Created: Track new potential opportunities added to your networking pipeline.
- Leads Contacted: Measure your proactive networking outreach.
- Contacts Added: Track the growth of your professional network.
- Interviews Secured: The ultimate metric for application success.
Set a Timeframe: Choose between DAILY, WEEKLY, or MONTHLY targets.
Define the Target Value: (e.g., "Apply to 10 jobs").
Set Dates: Define when the goal starts and ends.

2. Managing Tasks

Tasks are specific actions you need to take. They can be standalone or linked to other parts of your job search.

Link to Goals: Associate tasks with a specific goal to ensure every action contributes to your targets.
Link to Applications/Contacts: Tie tasks to specific job applications or people (e.g., "Follow up with recruiter for TechCorp role").
Priority & Deadlines: Set priority levels (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH) and due dates to organize your daily work.
Automated Generation: The system will automatically create common tasks for you, such as "Send thank-you note" after an interview is logged.

3. Using Focus Time & The 'Today' Interface

Focus Time sessions are dedicated blocks in your calendar designed for deep work.

Schedule Focus Time: Create a FOCUS_TIME event on your calendar and link it to an active goal.
Get AI Suggestions: Use the "Suggest Focus Time" feature on a goal card to have the AI recommend the ideal number and duration of sessions based on your target.
Enter the 'Today' View: When you open a Focus Time event, you'll see a consolidated interface including:
- Goal Progress: A visual bar showing how close you are to your target.
- Session Tasks: A list of tasks linked to that goal or event.
- Session Cache: A dynamic list of items you might need to work on (e.g., draft applications, stale leads, upcoming follow-ups).
Refresh Cache: Click "Refresh Cache" to pull the most up-to-date relevant activities into your session.

4. Intelligence, Notifications & Summaries

The system provides several layers of proactive intelligence to keep you informed.

AI Goal Suggestions: The platform analyses your historical performance to suggest realistic but challenging new goals.
Real-time Notifications: Get alerts for:
- 🎉 Goal Completed: When you reach your target.
- 🏆 Milestones: When you reach 50% or 75% of your goal.
- ⏰ Deadlines: When a goal or task is due soon.
- ⚠️ At Risk: When you're behind schedule on a goal with an approaching deadline.
Weekly Summary Widget: Check your dashboard for a comprehensive breakdown of your week's performance, including focus time hours, task completion rates, and AI-generated performance insights.

Pro Tip: Use the "AI Suggestions" tab on the Goals page to see data-driven recommendations for your next week's targets based on your actual performance over the last month.