Achievement

Bitesize Ways to Move Your Job Search Forward

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You may have heard that looking for a new job IS a fulltime job. While I do not disagree; looking for a new job requires focus and time; there are a number of things that you can do to move your search forward.

If you’re willing to spend 5-10 minutes of your time, here are some small steps you can take to forward your job search—each of these can be accomplished in less than 10 minutes:

  • Add a recent achievement to your resume.
  • Reach out to a former colleague on LinkedIn and connect. Be sure to send a personal note with your connection request.
  • Comment or “like” a LinkedIn post—or two.
  • Identify 3 organizations you want to work for; connect on LinkedIn and / or Facebook.
  • Make a copy of your last 3 performance evaluations (so you can “mine” them later for additional accomplishments).
  • Check out free sources of information to further your job search.
  • Identify a potential mentor and reach out to them.
  • Pinpoint 1 professional skill or knowledge that you could improve; find a way to close your gap.
  • Write down 1 thing you want to accomplish professionally in the next 12 months; share that with a colleague or family member to hold yourself accountable.
  • Spend 10 minutes searching for potential jobs online. Be sure to time yourself; it’s easy to go overboard!
  • Find a career expert you like on LinkedIn; follow them.
  • Look at YouTube for a short video on an aspect of job search (interview skills, elevator pitch, preparing accomplishments, etc.)
  • Add 2 numbers to your current resume to provide better context to your work. Think about your budget, the size of your team, the number of transactions you prepare monthly, etc.; anything that you can quantify will work!

While doing any one thing will not likely result in a new job, tackling your job search in bitesize pieces will help you make progress! It’s like the old saying, “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

Creating Powerful Accomplishments

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Many resumes are nothing but a recitation of duties and/or responsibilities. When you think about it, just because you are responsible for doing something, doesn’t mean that you actually do it—let alone do it well. Including powerful accomplishments in your resume is a strong differentiator; it says, not only do I do “x,” I do it well. And that’s what future employers want to know. Your current supervisor also likely wants to know what you have achieved for inclusion in your annual performance evaluation.

So how do you create powerful accomplishments? The first thing to do is track and document your achievements. You can document your achievements online (don’t forget to back-up your system!) or save a hard copy in a file folder or notebook. When you receive a “kudos” email, forward a copy to your personal email account. If you receive notes of appreciation from customers, coworkers, or your organization, compile those. Finally, consider printing out and/or taking a screenshot of any LinkedIn Recommendations you have on your profile. These are an important part of your accomplishments record as well. You need to make collecting your accomplishments part of your routine—whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly.

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