Take Your Career Back to School: A Checklist

My birthday’s this week, and I still get a wave of nostalgia any time it comes around. The end of August always marked the start of school; even now, ads about back-to-school sales still create a wave of energy in me. There’s an anticipation about a fresh start, a new challenge, a new horizon. 

It’s little wonder, then, that I hear from a lot of my career change clients this time of year. After all, we’re kind of pre-programmed to feel a push for something new just as the hot summer months begin to wane. It’s time to sink your teeth into a new challenge. 

The pandemic has created a wave of new opportunities that didn’t exist before. Many positions are at least hybrid now, if not fully remote, so perhaps that job with a commute just isn’t so appealing any longer. Or perhaps you’re looking to head back to an office and be surrounded by colleagues. Maybe you’re looking for a career change – or just more compensation and a better title to reflect the hard work you’ve been doing. 

I always love a good checklist. So, I’ve put together a few key elements you’ll need to get yourself ready to make that positive leap in your career. 

• Get your resume ready. Your resume tells the tale of your career; certainly, it should convey what positions you held and what you did – but does it say all the ways you went above and beyond? Does it share hard facts and numbers on how you improved the organizations where you worked? Can it survive the automated gauntlet of searches that get it from application websites and into the hands of a recruiter? Is it neat, attractive, and something you’d be proud to hand to someone when you land the interview? If not, it’s time for some polish.

• Always have a cover letter. In today’s “Click to Apply” world, cover letter usage has diminished. But, as a hiring manager, I always read them when a candidate submitted one. I appreciated the chance to get to know someone as a person. This is your chance to say “I was hired for this, but I wound up doing all of these things,” or explain how you took a few months off to sharpen the saw. While your resume gives a hiring manager a look at the positions you held, your cover letter tells them who you are. 

• LinkedIn needs a look. Without fail, I always checked a candidate’s LinkedIn prior to an interview. Who are they connected to? What do they say about themselves? If your profile doesn’t say what you’re passionate about, what you’ve done, and demonstrates both engagement and thoughtfulness, this, too, deserves some attention. Your other social media is fair game, too, so be sure that you’re looking your best and most professional on any accounts you share with the world.

• Get interview ready. Does the thought of an interview – let alone the battery of interviews that are commonplace today – make you sweat? Are you ready to field questions about your career, what you want out of your next job, and the reason you applied? Most interviews are done via Zoom these days; how’s your backdrop, lighting, and sound quality? All these things make an impression, and they could probably use a tune-up.

• Activate your network. So often, I hear from clients who are afraid to share with anyone that they’re looking for new opportunities. This is understandable – and, certainly, current colleagues fall into this group. But, if you’ve kept in touch with former colleagues and amassed a professional network, why not use it? Reaching out to your trusted network can be an exceptionally effective tool and can mean the difference between a resume getting lost in the database and landing on a hiring manager’s desk.

• Hire a career coach. The checklist items above may seem daunting – after all, you’re a professional with expertise that is likely outside of building resumes and coaching yourself on interview techniques. What I help my clients with the most is structure, storytelling, and accountability. While I’ve written and polished over 400 resumes in my time as a career coach, the real magic is in helping people understand and embrace the tale of their careers, then giving them an easy-to-follow roadmap from where they are today to landing that dream job.
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Whether you’re looking to advance or completely redefine your career, it’s time to get your pencils sharp and your skills even sharper. Build your checklist, polish your presence, and get ready to your fresh start. 

Obsidian Coaching is booking now for career change clients for Fall 2022. For more information, visit www.obsidiancoaching.com or email [email protected].