6 reasons to position your career for success

How do you position your career for success? People are always looking for the best time to do things. Whether it is the best time to buy a house, go back to school, go on a vacation or change your job. With 30+ years in the career industry, I have seen many economic cycles. People win new jobs in the worst conditions as well as the best of conditions. The people I see struggle are the ones who wait too long to decide that they need a new job because they can’t take their manager anymore, suddenly have a great new opportunity, have a great opportunity to be promoted but they need a resume, or suddenly lose a long time job. These people have not looked for a new job in so long that the whole process is different.

Why you should be proactive in your career

1. Forever jobs (20 to 30-year jobs) are a thing of the past. Between economic conditions, technology changes, and mergers/acquisitions, the concept of a forever job just doesn’t happen.
2. Internal promotions have become more formal than in years past. You generally need a resume, you will be interviewed, and you have to prove your value usually against both internal and external candidates.
3. Opportunities are more visible than in years past. Use Google to position your career for success by learning of new jobs with companies you might not have even known existed without Google.
4. While a job may be perfect when you are 20, you may find that you are not enjoying a job as much as you age. Some jobs require too much physical agility and they get harder as you age. Other jobs require more travel which was great when you were single but now that is more travel than you are willing to invest with a growing family.
5. When your company has many people of the same age group, the opportunity to promote into a higher level position is harder because those people in power are not as likely to leave. This is the time to position your career for success by moving on.
6. Management changes can make the perfect job uncomfortable or even unbearable.

5 steps to assure that you position your career for success

1. Create a value-filled resume. I see the resume as the foundation of the job search even in a digital world.  This will position your career for success. Without the thought-process behind developing the strategy to reach your goals that comes from writing the resume correctly, you will struggle with content used any place else in your job search (such as the application, LinkedIn profile, and interview). You also are unlikely to negotiate the same level of salary as you can when you can fully articulate your value.
2. Build your network. I can’t tell you how many job seekers sound so sad when I ask about their network. A nonexistent network at the time you need it most is scary. You need a network to help you find the elusive hidden job market (those jobs never advertised or filled quickly because of inside information.)
3. Learn the intricacies of creating an optimized LinkedIn profile. Hint – it is not optimized if you just opened an account, filled in a few details, and then left it alone. Position your career for success by letting LinkedIn attract inquiries and substantial job offers.
4. Practice telling value-filled stories before the interview. The process of resume writing will help you capture those stories if you are doing it correctly and position your career for success.
5. Have a career expert on speed dial. My clients know that I will be there to help them answer the tough questions even after our work is done. In the last two days, I fielded at least three calls from clients who needed help. One needed my thoughts on a particular company – even though he had just landed. He was still being called for interviews for other job opportunities. Another wanted to know if she should push for travel expenses. Both answers meant I did a quick Google search while the client was on the phone to make sure I had solid information for my advice.

Are you ready for the next opportunity? You want to be prepared and not scrambling for help at the last minute. Your career provides the income you need to reach your financial goals, don’t leave it to chance with a hastily completed application or resume that you hope might land you your next job.

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