Career Tips

Career Tip #13: Keeping up with continuing education in your field is a key way to keep yourself competitive and give you an edge up on the job market. Be sure to select coursework that is relevant, cutting edge, and that will assist you in creating tangible results for your company.

Career Tip #14: When providing references, choose people who can directly speak to your accomplishments in prior positions that are similar to the one to which you are applying, ie. former supervisors, peers, or team members. Be sure to let your references know in advance that someone will be calling and remind your reference of successful projects or assignments you worked on together so they can easily bring those to mind and discuss them when the interviewer calls.

Career Tip #15: Never leave dates of employment off of your resume, even when you have gaps. Hiring authorities interpret the lack of dates as a huge red flag that you are hiding a sporadic work history or a habit of frequent job hopping. Use your cover letter to address and explain any major gaps in employment or drastic changes.

Career Tip #16: Job hunting when unemployed can be a disheartening task. To maximize your results and find a position as quickly as possible, only apply to positions that are suitable to your skills and experience. Avoid “spamming” your resume everywhere in the vain hope that someone, somewhere will give you a job.

A careful, considered and tailored application to a position your background is suitable for will garner better results.

Career Tip #17: Many people hesitate and wish for a crystal ball when trying to make a decision about leaving their current job for a new and potentially more promising position.

Change is scary! However, if you are serious about advancing your career to its optimal point, you will likely make several strategic moves during the course of your lifetime. Consider if the new position is for a reputable company and if the position offered will broaden the range of your current responsibilities and allow opportunities that are currently not open to you now. If the answer is yes, your hesitation should disappear. Don’t let fear of change hold your career back.

Career Tip #18: Contrary to popular belief, money is not the primary reason people change jobs. The primary reason people leave is a bad relationship with their boss and/or coworkers. When you are seeking a new position, finding a good culture and personality fit should be of paramount importance. You will likely be spending more time each work day with this team of people than you spend with your immediate family. Before you decide to accept that new position, take the time to get a feel for the team and how you will fit in with them, what the management style of your new boss will be and how you will get along.