Financial Services & Recruiting academyrecruiting on 26 Nov 2007 12:56 pm
Get prepared now for that new year move
It’s that time of year again and a good time for the annual reminder - the beginning of the new year is always a good time for a move, so you want to get prepared for it now and stay focused on it even among all the fun of the holiday season.
There are a number of specific things you can do - really the same basic ones, but with a little different emphasis during the holidays.
First, make sure your resume is updated, tuned up, and in outstanding shape. Louise Fletcher, who runs Blue Sky Resumes, addresses this very well in a post today called Start to Plan the Change Now!. Although Louise is talking primarily about resumes, her advice applies to moving to a new position in general, in particular the need to operate with a sense of urgency and not put things off until after the new year. One specific caution from Louise: if you are looking for professional help with your resume and wait too long, “…any professional resume writer worth his or her salt will have to turn you down because they are overwhelmed with all the other people who are also in a rush to find a new job.”
Next, network - with all the get togethers, exchanges of greetings, and just more running into people in general, there’s no better time to renew old connections and make new ones as well. There are some great guidelines from Debra Feldman in a post on the Career Hub site (another Louise Fletcher project) called Tis the Season to Network. Personally, I like this one because I think it’s another one of those “obvious” ones that gets overlooked all the time:
“To reap the full benefits of networking purposefully, you must be alert and stay sharp. Don’t overindulge in food or beverages. Conduct yourself professionally at all times.”
Last, and most important (What else would you expect me to say?), keep in touch with and stay in front of recruiters. We are actively looking right now to fill positions which begin after the first of the year.
As Louise said so aptly, “…if you have been dallying with the idea of a move for some time, why not start getting prepared now?”
