Having Trouble Planning Your Next Career Move? Check Out My Top 5 Secrets For Landing The Job Of Your Dreams

Thinking about your next career move can be intimidating. It’s scary to think about having to start all over again in a new place with new people and new job responsibilities. Whether people quit jobs or quit bosses really all depends on the company. After my professional experience conducting thousands of interviews, I have found people quit jobs more often than they quit their boss. A recent article I read in the Harvard Business Review was about the company Facebook wanting to find out just why their employees leave. They too found that people were leaving their jobs, not their bosses. So what happens when you’re ready to move on in your career but aren’t exactly sure where to start?

Follow Your Passion

First, ask yourself what you’re passionate about. The most common thing I hear from candidates looking to leave their job is “I want more {INSERT - money:stability:challenge:flexibility:career growth opportunities}. If you find yourself looking for all of the above then take a step back and really focus in on what it REALLY is you’re looking to do. Write down at least 5 things that are essential in your next position. If you only write down one thing, like money, for instance, you’re probably going to find another job that pays more but maybe it comes with longer hours, more travel away from the family, or fewer benefits. When you really start honing in on what it is that makes you “tick” and where you’d like to see yourself be in 5-10 years, that’s when you’ll make much better decisions and accept job offers you truly know are the best for you. 

Stand out - Beef Up Your Resume

Your resume is everything. When I have a job I’m representing, I can tell in as little as 3-4 seconds whether I like the person for that role or not. It really is that fast. My suggestion is quit using plain jane Word Doc resumes and start putting some thought into it, even if it’s as minor as throwing a splash of color into it. I’m not saying go all out and spend 5 hours on it but give it some “oomph” and make me, the recruiter, interested enough to keep scrolling through. 

Also, make sure your resume is RELEVANT and full of FACTS. For example, if someone applies to one of my sales jobs and has a nice resume with:

• Top sales rep in company 
• Negotiated and closed deals with business owners 
• Analyzed data and created reports for Senior management 
• Hard worker and driven 

I’m thinking ok. This person could have potential. But in my mind I’m also thinking: 

• Top sales rep in the company - (What does that even mean? You could’ve been the only rep in the whole company for all I know. Top rep out of 10, 20, 50 sounds a lot better.) 
• Negotiated and closed deals with business owners - (Okkk...but how many? And what was the amount of each contract and how long was the negotiation process? Did you aggressively find your own leads or did you have an appointment setter? How hard was it? Was it a no-brainer deal or something you had to work hard on educating potential clients about? Show me some muscle in your hustle!)
• Analyzed data and created reports for Senior Management - (What kind of data? What kind of reports? Did they ask you to do this or were you the one to proactively suggest this and it went over so well that management praised you and now 5 years since you left they’re still doing it this way?)
• Hard worker and driven - (Like...how hard? You showed up every day on time at 9am and left at 5pm and always did the bare minimum and somehow survived and thought you were working hard or you started hustling every day before your competition and that led you to 3 promotions in 2 years which was faster than anyone in the company’s history?)

Make your resume STAND OUT to me. Don’t give me a reason not to call you. 

(Free resume builder templates here.) 

Network

“It’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.” I live by this statement, and I will die by it too. Not everything in life is like this but realistically, for the most part, it is. Start networking with like-minded people and people who are in the career or industry you aspire to be in. So many books and documentaries about the “Secret of Life” have been published/created and they all boil down to ONE secret - the Law of Attraction. What they’re talking about is the power of positive thinking and the amazing things it will attract for you and your future, but I take it a step further and think it’s about whom you surround yourself with. It’s why I’m constantly reading books and articles by very successful entrepreneurs or attending networking events they put on. They have so much to teach, and I have so much to learn. If I spent my time with people who didn’t share my passion for entrepreneurship, who’s going to constantly challenge me to be the best and to keep moving forward? Who's going to understand my frustrations as a business owner and have helpful advice for me? Make sure you're surrounding yourself with people who share your passions and who will lift you up and help guide you along the way.

Check out “The Secret” on Netflix. (It’s a little cheesy but it’s actually so true. I started this mindset/process a year before I ever watched this documentary, and I was screaming joyously at the TV saying, “YES! It really DOES work that way” to everything they said or pointed out.)

Command An Interview (if you have to)

I knew a guy who once wanted to get his foot in the door so badly at this company that he walked in and commanded an interview. Now I’m choosing my words carefully here - I said COMMAND, not DEMAND. There’s a difference. When I worked in Talent Acquisition in Corporate America, very rarely did the front desk call me stating someone was in the front lobby with his or her resume asking for an interview, but I wouldn’t have cared if he or she did. I’m not saying go stalk every recruiter as applying for the position with a strong resume is just as powerful, but if you know and feel your skills align with exactly with they’re looking for, don’t be afraid to command what you want if you’re not seeing the results you desire. “The answer is always no if you never ask.”

Follow up (Follow Through) 

After an interview or a connection with the recruiter/hiring manager, always follow up. Let me say that again. ALWAYS follow up. Ask for their business card if they don’t hand one to you before you leave so you can email them thanking them for their time and reiterating why you feel you’re the best candidate for the position. Don’t email them right after you leave or even a few hours after you leave. To me, that shows you haven’t even had time to think the entire interview over or even talk to friends or family about everything that was discussed. (I don’t like people who make hasty decisions as they tend to not last very long in a position.) 

The most impressive emails I receive are within the first 12-24 hours depending on when the interview was, stating that they have had time to adequately think about the position and slept on it and woke up feeling more confident than ever that this was the right position for them for these reasons (bullet point/state your reasons). 

The hiring leaders are either going to like you or not so it doesn’t matter that you don’t email them the second you get home. You have one more chance at impressing them before they make a decision so you might as well put some thought into and make it count. I usually like to see emails early in the morning. It shows me the person starts their day fresh and early and is motivated enough to let me know as soon they can that they want the job. As a recruiter, I read more into the email you send than just the words you write - it’s about the entire package you bring to the table and how you handle yourself overall.