Career Planning
For those in the U.S., it’s Labor Day so I thought it was a great time to discuss your job. Are you in your happy place? If not, and you’re pondering a career change it’s time to put your plans in place now since there are only 4 months left in the year! Where did the time go? On a personal note, it’s been an absolutely glorious Summer in Seattle. No forest fire smoke and the viaduct is coming down which has reduced traffic and noise in downtown. Well, at least on our street.
According to Glass Door, fall is prime job-hunting season because “most people have finished with vacation and business ramps up again. It’s also the time when many organizations take a good look at their financial performance and buckle down on budget planning for the next year. They’re making all kinds of decisions that lead to job openings – not only to replace workers who resign or retire, but to fill positions that haven’t existed before, that require specialized skills.”
Did you know that most Fortune 2000 companies will freeze job position hiring in the October-November time period? Certainly there are exceptions for filling strategic roles but with an eye for 4th quarter revenue, budgets are scrutinized. Every year at Sprint and CenturyLink, if I had open job requisitions they would be in jeopardy by the end of October. Similar to the no fly zone aka travel expense pre-approval during the same time period. Perhaps you’re not headed to a Fortune 2000 but start-ups and mid-size companies might have the same concerns. Something to consider for your next career adventure.
Prepare for the Job Hunt
Since seeking a career change isn’t a recurring activity for most of you, taking the following steps prepares you for a successful transition.
- Resumé Development: When’s the last time you updated your resumé or for that matter do you have one? For those of you with quarterly and performance reviews, it’s easy to transfer that information and apply it to your resumé. Current standards for those in your mid or late careers include keeping it to 2 pages, focusing on the past 10 years, and providing 3-5 quantifiable accomplishment bullets per position related to your responsibilities. There are plenty of web sites with guideline templates. If you’re overwhelmed with the idea of updating your resumé or simply want to outsource, consider hiring a resumé writer via LinkedIn Pro Finder offering job seekers 5 proposals free-of-charge.
- Resumé Review: There are plenty of resources providing a free resumé evaluation including The Ladders and Jobscan. With their online resumé optimization tools, you simply upload your resumé and within less than 1 minute your resumé critique is generated using applicant tracking system algorithms. In addition, these companies offer resumé development services.
- LinkedIn Makeover: As part of my career consulting practice, daily I review LinkedIn profiles and only 25% stand out for making a positive impression as a former hiring manager. There are great online resources like Donna Serdula’s LinkedIn makeover website which offers great tips that I use for my clients’ profiles. She emphasizes having a professional photo (easily executed even with a mere cell phone), striking background photo, strong headline, personal narrative, and my favorite tip … Unicode bullets. You can also hire a professional like Donna’s company or LinkedIn Profinder, as I mentioned previously, offers job seekers 5 custom proposals free-of-charge for LinkedIn makeovers.
- Interview Preparation: In my practice 30% of clients are concerned about the interview. How do you prepare? Research your dream company. No shame in bringing hand written notes with:
- why you want to join their culture,
- how you are impressed with their business model, and
- how you can support their vision.
Bottom line you make the difference
When it comes right down to it, highlight your strengths:
- how can you increase customer or employee satisfaction,
- build brand image,
- drive net revenue, or
- reduce operating expenses.
These are the desires or pain points of every company whether not-for-profit or answering to Wall Street. Land your dream job, you deserve it!
