I need to find a new role. Now what?

What do you do when it’s time to move on?

Once you realize it’s time to move on, pull out your resume adjust it.  

Does it need a layout facelift?

Is the content still accurate?

Can you scale back early work experience descriptions to make more room for current information?

Make your changes then ask a close friend who will tell you the truth to review it.  Find a few more folks- a colleague, a mentor,etc.  I also recommend finding folks from a few generations to review it.  Why?  You never know who is going to see your resume and you want to be sure it’s understandable across generations.   This doesn’t mean have your parent review it (unless they are in your field).  Select an older former colleague.  This can also be a great way to maintain your network.   

If you have a job that is loaded with jargon, make sure it’s role specific not company specific.  Remember, recruiters are often the first person to see your resume and if they ct understand if you meet the criteria, they will pass on you.  If you intend to stay in the industry, jargon is less critical.  If you are intending to cross industries, even in the same role, scale back the jargon to only role specific content.  

Once you have your resume polished, save it somewhere you can access it in a pinch from a tablet, smart phone or Publix computer.  I recommend saving a pdf and doc version.  

Now start polishing up your cover letters.  These are best when customized to the job application. 

Interviewing.  

Set up a mock interview with a colleague.  Treat them to coffee or lunch and ask them to interview you and give you feedback on your responses.  

Ask several people what their favorite interview question to ask or answer has been.  This is a great social media post.  

Prepare by writing out your answers to questions.  I find that by preparing to share a few stories about my experience and life, I’m usually able to select different angles of the same story to address multiple questions.  If I’m really anxious, I’ll jot the story topic on my notepad next to my list questions for the interviewer.   That way I have the memory job but it’s not obvious that I prepared notes.  

Accept every interview.  You will get better with practice.   Especially accept interviews for roles you aren’t as interested in.  This gives you practice and there’s a certain freedom in knowing, if you try out an answer and it bombs, you’re not loosing a job you’re interested in.  PLUS- you may discover as you talk to the interviewer and get more information that the job is a better fit than you expected or that the job posting didn’t provide all the details.  

Learn something about the company to show your interest.  If it doesn’t come up in the interview, when you are asking your questions, slide the information in to your question:  “in getting ready for the interview I saw that you have multiple locations across the north east, how will that impact my role?” Or “how does the company keep multiple locations in the north east connected?”

Once you receive an offer, negotiate.  Salary isn’t the only available lever.  Vacation days, benefits, how quickly you can start contributing to retirement, office space, schedule, reimbursements, signing bonus, and more are potential negotiation points.  Don’t negotiate on them all, but pick a few that would give you a package you are willing to accept.  Maybe salary, # of vacation days and a flexible start schedule are your top three.  If they can’t meet your desires salary can they increase your time off bank or give you more flexibility in your schedule?

Finally when you start.  Show up early on day 1.  About 10-15 minutes or so.   If you aren’t sure how long the commute will take, check via GPS, work backward to arrive 15 minutes early.  If the commute is over 30 minutes calculate an extra ten minutes to account for unexpected delays.  Day 1 is not the day to be late.  

Congratulations- but you’re not done yet.  Save the job posting and in 2-3 months go into your Linked in profile and your resume and add in the top 3 things you are working on. Why?  Because you’re excited and it won’t take you very long and you’ll remember your start date.  If you wait until the next time you want to start looking, you have to start from scratch.  This gives you a head start.  Sure it changes over time, but it gives you a starting place.  Ideally you update your resume and profile every 12 months or so.  

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