Now Is a Great Time to Look for a New Job!
September is here—a month of change, reinvention, and transformation. School is back in session, and hopefully, temperatures are beginning to cool off after an unbearably hot summer for most of us. You’ve probably noticed Halloween displays in stores and an abundance of pumpkin spice everything. Coming out of the hazy, hot days of summer, people are back from their vacations, recharged, and ready to power through the end of the year. For job seekers, this means that there is enormous opportunity between now and the end of the year.
Informally termed the “September surge,” this time of year means more job openings as companies must use up budgets and close open requisitions before the end of the year. Expect to see more recruiters than ever in your inbox, even if you are not actively looking for a new role. To position yourself to succeed and use the September surge to your advantage, you should take stock of your personal brand, reach out to your network, and create a plan.
Revisit your resume. When was the last time you updated your resume? If it was more than a year ago, it is time for a refresh. Cull any passive words and phrases such as “responsible for,” “duties,” and instead use strong, action words like “transformed,” “delivered,” and “optimized.”
Refresh your LinkedIn profile. Refreshing your LinkedIn profile accomplishes a few things. First, by changing anything on your profile, your profile will get boosted in rankings and will show up first in recruiter searches.
Evaluate your activity on social media. Are you getting into flame wars with people on LinkedIn? An employer or recruiter is going to know what's going on. Do you post irrelevant, personal stories on LinkedIn? Do you post inflammatory, biased opinions on LinkedIn? All of this is a major turn-off, and you need to stop. You are also wasting your valuable time.
Reconnect with your network. Perhaps you have been out of touch with your network over the past few months. Now is the time to ramp that up. There will be a multitude of in-person and virtual networking events that will be taking place over the next few months. Go out there and meet more people!
Find a mentor. Another thing you can use your network for is finding a mentor. A mentor needn’t be someone in your field or profession—just another person with different experiences than you who can offer you insight and guidance.
Enjoy this last quarter of the year, and go out there and make it happen!