The race will be on in less than three weeks. Are you ready? You might wonder what race I’m talking about. It’s the most important races of your life. The race to your dream job.
Hiring slows over the holidays. It doesn’t completely stop, but many companies put off hiring new employees until the New Year.
First, there are many employees who are on vacation during December. This can make the interview process more difficult with only a partial staff.
All bets are off when January begins. Companies start to hire again in full force.
The first step to getting ready is having your resume prepared. You also want to update your LinkedIn profile and have a sample cover letter handy just in case.
But once you have the basics down, what else should you do?
One of the biggest issues that might cause problems is not having a clear direction. Having a perfect resume is just not enough. It’s important that you can explain to your friends and network what type of job you’re looking for and why.
If you aren’t sure what you want to be when you grow up, start with a list of all the things you’re good at within the scope of your current job. Include things you did at your previous job.
Then, add in skills you’ve picked up through hobbies. You might, for example, have a business on the side that generates income and has taught you new skills.
Compare your list of transferrable skills to various job descriptions, then start a list of possible new careers.
Once you have five to 10 new ideas, begin to search within your network for people who work in these career fields. Send them an email and ask if you could take them out for coffee in exchange for picking their brain. You’ll be surprised at how many people will say yes.
These coffee meetings are often referred to as informational interviews. They’re a chance for you to learn more about another career through networking. They aren’t a chance to interview for a job, but to learn about one.
The good news is most people enjoy talking about themselves – and helping others.
I’ve often found that just a few informational interviews can help my clients to narrow what they don’t want to do or to get a better idea of what they’d like to do. It’s surprising how quickly a short conversation can give you a window into another profession.
As you begin to narrow your career choices, revise your resume, LinkedIn profile and cover letter to match.
Begin putting together your elevator pitch. This is a quick summary of what you’d like to do. It helps those around you to recommend opportunities and will leave you prepared to dominate your search in the new year.
Angela Copeland, a career expert and founder of Copeland Coaching, can be reached at copelandcoaching.com.