Good job! You're becoming self-aware of the value you will bring to your next place. You're on your way to optimizing your presence through your resume, LinkedIn, and networking. Your professional “brand” hinges on these key pieces—and getting it right is no small feat. Don't hesitate to enlist experts along the way, like a great photographer for a new headshot, a professional resume writer (who can also tee up an eloquent and compelling cover letter), a career coach and others who can ensure that you're putting the right pieces together.
Don't leave good PR on the table—especially when it's free. Utilize all applicable LinkedIn features. And use both a digital and personal strategies to build relationships with career allies. Past colleagues or leaders will be thrilled to connect and support your career. Make sure you let them know how they inspired you.
Well done! You've taken key steps in the process to finding what's next. And the work you're investing now means you won't be scrambling if the time comes. Knowing you're prepared makes you more confident today, which will make your current role or job search that much more successful.
Since you're about halfway there, it's a great time to push on. Use LinkedIn's guided features like Skills, Recommendations and Endorsements to optimize your presence. Add skills to your profile based that match the jobs you want. Reach out to former leaders and peers and request recommendations which takes just a few minutes. Endorse people from current and past roles for their skills, and LinkedIn will help them endorse you for yours, too.
Impressive! Your resume is concise, polished and tailored to the job you want. Your LinkedIn profile is complete and you're optimizing your presence by using most or all of the features. You've been actively expanding your professional network by asking to connect, accepting others' invitations, and searching for new connections on your school or past company's pages. You're engaging with your peers' content, and you're regularly sharing content you find insightful.
Now is a good time to take a step back and reflect on the big picture ofyour marketability. Walk in the recruiter's shoes. Does your resume grab their attention in the first 10 seconds? Do your headshot, cover image and summary on LinkedIn all work in harmony to make a potential employer want to learn more? These refinements are the finishing touches that amplify your value and supercharge your job search.
