When was the last time you updated your professional profile; Resume/Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)? Was it when you finished college? or just before you joined your current organization? For some of us, it has been a while since we became actively searching for a new employment opportunity. Even if you just graduated from College, it is never too early or too late to update your Resume.
If you just want to find your next J.O.B. No need to keep on reading. Now, if you want to prepare for your next career development move, let’s review a few tips to increase your success rate to find the right opportunity.
Self-Evaluation. – It is very important to take a closer look at your professional life and further understand what you have done to this point. List your professional accomplishments and goals achieved. Focus on those events that brought you the most joy, the ones that bring you back in time and make you feel like you were part of something bigger than yourself. Write down what did you do that made you recognized or rewarded in any way. Most likely, that is your strength. That is what you are good at and it should give you a view into what makes you successful. Write down those accomplishments and transform them into brief statements. Eventually, find a place to highlight them on your resume.
Review your digital footprint. – We are no longer in the days where "what happens in a party-stays at the party". Nowadays, it is more like, what is captured in a digital format and is uploaded, lives forever in cyberspace. So, make sure you always know if there are any compromising pictures or videos of you/your actions at that last college party or your friends' bachelor or bachelorette party. Know that if you google yourself and find material that was not meant to be shared, then it is quite possible your future employer will find it too. It has become a practice that talent acquisition professionals search for online profiles to further understand what kind of character traits are they looking to interview or hire. Be prepared to explain any errors or misunderstandings.
Networking. – Socializing is a significant part of success when it comes to job searches. Whether you reach out to contacts via social media, face-to-face at casual events, happy hours, water cooler conversations, or attending family/friends gatherings, nowadays, knowing the right people and building your professional network is as important as having a spotless resume. Make sure you constantly increase your contact network; set a self-target to reach out to 5 to 10 contacts each day/week realizing that only 50% of your activities might generate positive results. Many people change jobs but not always update their online profiles. Therefore, you might have outdated contact information.
Ensure you always update your records, especially when you learn that contacts moved on to a news organization. Once you have polished your contact list, follow up with friends and colleagues on a regular basis. Avoid sending a message only when you need a reference from them or only when you want their assistance to land your next role. People do not appreciate “Fly-by acquaintances”.
Research your next employer. – After you have updated your resume and have a pretty good idea of who can be a good reference, start your investigative work about your next employer. Go to its website, learn where are they located, where is their headquarter, how many offices do they have. Download and read their last annual report. Find out what is their company vision, what are they investing on. Make sure you understand what will be your daily commute if you get hired by them. In order words, before you even apply, visualize yourself as their next employee. This exercise will help you prepare for the potential job interview. It will also assist you in better understand if that is the type of company you will like to work for. Ask yourself, how would you feel about representing that next employer; professionally and personally? If this exercise gives you pride, you are on the right track. If you feel unsure or nervous, you might need to do more research and ask yourself if this is what you want to pursuit.
Leverage Online Tools. – Whether you love to stay active on social media or you believe in online classes, rest assure that technology can become a fantastic aid to assist you in finding your next dream job. If you finished college several years ago, set a resolution to take online courses on topics relevant to your career path. Get a couple of certifications that will validate that your knowledge is up-to-date and your skillset will bring a fresh contribution to the team you are about to join. In today’s technology world, employers heavily rely on online job search websites to publish their available positions. Most job search engines allow you to apply to multiple jobs in a matter of minutes without leaving your living room. In the end, if used appropriately, technology can enable you to be successful in your job search.
LinkedIn is a widely used professional social media platform with very successful tools to facilitate your job search; online profile posting, job opening publications, access to professional contact networks, and great content applicable to most industries. Make sure to use these and many more options available to you.
Searching for your next workplace can be stressful. However, with the right preparation and guidance, your journey can be an interesting one where you can rediscover yourself, be in control of what is being said about you and help you define what you want in your next professional life. Our trusted advisors have lived thru this situation more than once. Their experience can be an absolute asset to put you ahead of the line when competing for the same job with other candidates.
For more information, register at https://efficientadvice.com/subscribe. We are here to work with you and to make it better!
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