Even When You Aren’t Looking
I wasn’t looking for a new job when I interviewed for the role that I am currently in. It was 6 AM one morning and a former colleague of mine reached out and told me about a new position at the company she was working at. The opportunity seemed interesting enough so I sent her my resume. Everything moved quickly and by the next day I had been made an offer. Just like that I was heading into the next step of my career.
This is how I make sure I’m always prepared for this type of situation.
1. Have your resume ready
As soon as I start a job, you better believe I get to updating it. I add my new company and position and a little about what I’m doing. This is a living document. It changes and grows with me as my career unfolds. The good thing about having it ready is that I can always add things as they come up.
The last thing you want is to be in a position where you need to look for a job and suddenly you realize your resume is up to date. Now you have to update it and try and remember all the things you achieved in your previous role. And let’s be real, updating your resume isn’t always the most fun. So why not make it less painful and just update it as you go.
This tip is exactly why I had my resume ready to go when my former colleague reached out to me about the job. If it hadn’t been for this, I might have told her I’d update it later and send it to her. And by then my window of opportunity might have closed.
2. Keep notes on your accomplishments
On your phone open the notes app and create a new note and title it “awesome things I’ve done at work.”
Ready. Set. Go.
Okay cool. Now that you have the note created, it’s time to start updating this note. Start adding in some achievements. Make it specific. Talk numbers. You want to be able to use this as you prepare for your next interview. You don’t want to go in like “yeah one time I helped this person and we made a lot of improvements.” Talk about the situation. Talk about the results.
Having this note is not only good for job interviews but it’s also helpful when your yearly review comes around. I know I can’t be the only one that draws a complete blank when it’s time to do my self review. Let this note help you so you can tell your managers how amazing you are and why you deserve more money.
Other articles I’ve written on interviewing and finding a new job.3 Things I Do Before a Job Interview
And why I cried after a Cold Stone interview.jasminedeleon.medium.com
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