Looking for new career opportunities can be a full time job.
If you're searching for a new job while
being employed, you already have a full time job. It's important to approach your job search
with strategy and focus so as to best utilize your time. It's also important to organize your search
so you don't self sabotage your efforts.
Do a self inventory. Whether
you’re in an unhappy job and are seeking career satisfaction or unemployed and
seeking to return to the workforce, you should start your search with some
honest introspection. A self-inventory
of your skills as well as your interests should be done so that you can start
to target specific industries or roles.
What are you really good at? What
do you really get excited about? What
skills are most appreciated at work?
What kind of people do you really like to work with? However you like to do this, journaling or
spreadsheet, it will set the foundation for your job search as well as prepare
you for your upcoming interviews.
Update your resume.
Be sure to include new information, but also revisit your previous
experience to be sure that it aligns with your new goals. You may have grown personally and professionally
over the years, and your resume should
tell this story.
Update your social media profile. Everyone should have a LinkedIn profile, but
there are many other platforms out there too.
If you’re unsure of any abandoned profiles out there, do a simple search
on yourself through your web browser.
Make updates as necessary.
Meet more people.
Join networking groups on LinkedIn.
Attend networking events relevant to your career, and be sure to follow
up with everyone the next day.
Keep track of your activity.
Submitting resumes, talking to recruiters, asking for referrals and
introductions, and interviewing are all actions that you should have record of.
The worst thing you can do is apply
online, have an external submit you, and have an internal employee refer
you. That combination of actions may
actually cancel out your eligibility for consideration. Whenever there is a conflict inside a system,
a company generally chooses to reject a candidate. If you’re working with recruiting agencies,
keep track of all of your communications with them including the companies that
they are submitting you to. In very
large companies, it can be possible to be submitted into different divisions,
but it’s helpful to know that first.
Follow up. After
every call or meeting, a simple email is appreciated. It also keeps you on the top of the other
person’s mind. It’s also valuable to ask
about expectations for the next communication.
At the end of your interview, you should be asking if there is any
additional information that they need for a decision THEN asking when you might
expect follow up.
Refresh as needed.
None of these steps need to happen in this specific order, as you should
always be updating your social media profile.
This is your brand, and can also help you get a promotion in your
current job. This action tells others “I’m
serious about my career progress”.
