The days are long, but the years are short, they say.
It feels like yesterday when you started your journey at your company. It has been good to you – and the two of you have grown, together – but it’s time for you to go your separate ways. Maybe you’d like a more flexible schedule. Maybe you’d like to expand your skill set. Maybe you’re just ready for something new. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided that it’s time to part from the company that defined your career – the company that made you, even. Despite the booming job market, getting a new job is daunting, at best, and a total-freaking-letdown, at worst. Fortunately, we want to assist you in your quest. After all, it takes a village.
Lock it up.
Much of the job-hunting process can feel like it’s out of your control. Application after application: you submit your resume into the abyss of the internet with little-to-no response. Discouraging. In this case, it isn’t them, it is you. Competition is fierce and it’s easier than ever to get eliminated from a batch of potentials, no matter your experience. First line of order is to clean ???? up ???? your ???? social ???? media ????. Stalk yourself on the internet. Follow your social media timelines back a couple of years. Do you have a video of you complaining about being bored at work? Delete it. And yes. We’ve seen it. We’ve seen it all.
Next, dig up your resume, dust it off, and give it some TLC.
This one might sound simple, but, again, we’ve seen it all. Any and all job duties performed in the past should be referred to in the past tense. On the contrary, any job duties that are performed at your current job should be reflected in the present tense. See example below:
XYZ Company, Atlanta, GA
Marketing Analyst
- Design and create company eblasts
- Schedule and manage video campaigns
- Write for the Company’s blog
ABC Company, Atlanta, GA
Social Media Strategist
- Managed seven high-profile social media accounts
- Scheduled and coordinated photoshoots amongst influencers and clients
Now, make sure everything is consistent. Want to cap-off your bullet points with periods? Cool. Do it. Want to leave them free and open-ended? Cool. You can do that too. HOWEVER. Whichever route you choose, choose to stick with it. If you want to add periods, make sure there are periods on every single bullet point. This should get you started — be on the look out for a future blog with explicit resume instructions. Now onto networking.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
This isn’t news, so we won’t spend much time on it. If you’ve been at the same company for years then it might be time to refresh your network. Expand your reach. Attend networking events. Connect with your school’s alumni. Tell everybody you know what kind of work you do and that you’re looking for a job. News spreads like wildfire and most people are willing to help if they can.
Contract, interim consulting, or direct hire?
Did you know that interim consulting and/or contract roles can offer you the flexibility to choose your own schedule, among other things? If you want to know more, check out our blog post where we go more in-depth!
Next step: let a recruiter cut through the noise and move you to the front of the queue.
Refreshed resume… check. Refreshed network… check. Now what? Research recruiters that specialize in your industry. On our next blog post we’ll discuss the benefits of hiring a recruiter and how it may help you get your dream job faster. Stay tuned!
