I coach people all the time who say, “I haven’t looked for a job in (4, 10, 12, 15) years.” It’s not a bad thing to have been out of the job hunt for a number of years. All the more reason to take time and initiative to prepare for an upcoming search. We tell candidates to begin preparing six to twelve months prior to when they’d like to have a new job. Preparing starts well before looking at job boards. Here are our tips:
- Get your Resume and LinkedIn profile up to date. It’s very important to have professional documents ready to go when the perfect job appears. Also, recruiters review LinkedIn looking for top talent. Ensure your resume and LinkedIn profile are in tip-top shape.
- Start utilizing LinkedIn. Recruiters and Hiring Managers spend a lot of time on LinkedIn checking out potential candidates. Make sure you are connecting with recruiters, previous colleagues, employers, friends, etc. You want to be active on the #1 site for professionals. Reshare interesting articles, comment on posts, and research roles and companies. Make sure to download our free LinkedIn Tips.
- Assess and set goals. Spend time determining what role you want to focus on. Define your motivators for a new role, responsibilities, or company. What job titles and responsibilities are you looking for? You need to know where to focus your efforts going forward.
- Research companies and roles. Evaluate what your perfect role/company is. Maybe perfect doesn’t exist, but you can list the values you are looking for in an organization. Research to identify companies that align with your goals.
- Update your skills. Once you start researching your roles, you will determine if you need to brush up on specific required skills. Consider taking a class online, earning a certification, or completing a course at the local community college.
- Practice your interview skills. Chances are, you haven’t been interviewed in a long time. Practice makes perfect. We recommend practicing with someone, recording yourself, or practicing in front of a mirror. The main thing is to practice out loud and listen to your answers. Hearing how your answers sound out loud can help determine what answers need work.
- Reach out to your network and strategically let them know your goals. Many people make big transitions by using their network of people who know them and can vouch for their skills. Get on your social sites and let people know that you are looking for something new, and what type of work you are interested in. The more specific you can be in telling people your goals and interests, the more they can help.
Remember, the preparation starts well before you fire up the job boards. Don’t skip the beginning, because it makes for a great ending.
