Happy New Year from the team at Public Service Resumes! Is Your Career Your New Year’s Resolution? 2017 was a great year for us and saw us service hundreds of new and existing clients. That means that hundreds of people who engaged our services experienced enhanced confidence in their job seeking endeavours. Whether that was through having their resume re-engineered to highlight their professional attributes and achievements, selling themselves according to job requirements via an engaging cover letter, or ensuring that they ticked all of the capability boxes with their statement or key selection criteria responses; one thing we can be sure of, is that our clients were able to apply for a new role or promotion knowing that their chances of success were significantly enhanced.
With the start of a New Year upon us, now is the ideal time to look for a new job or go for that promotion – you are fresh with enthusiasm from making New Year’s resolutions, and you are ready to make changes to improve your life. If you are in a lacklustre job that just is not doing it for you, or you are still looking for a job, seize this opportunity to focus more clearly on where you would like to head career-wise this year and extricate yourself from the old ways. If that all sounds too hard or overwhelming, well, you are in the right place as the team at Public Service Resumes can assist you with all that you need.
Research undertaken by seek.com in 2016 found that 90% of Australians take up to six months to find and secure a new job. That is a daunting figure in itself; however, with a little preparation and motivation, you can get your 2018 off to a truly positive start. To assist you in your endeavours, the team at Public Service Resumes have created a simple ten-step plan to follow to help you to secure work that you love.
Get Ready to Make 2018 a Year to Remember!
STEP 1: Put the building blocks in place – schedule time to think about your career plan and narrow down the role that you are after. If you feel like this task has you staring at a brick wall, let the team at Public Service Resumes know, and we will set you up with one of our highly experienced and professional Career Coaches.
STEP 2: Review your resume. Look for gaps in your resume and ways to fill them. If your skills and experience do not align with your current career direction, Public Service Resumes recommends that you consider doing voluntary work or undertaking a course to further your skills and qualifications. Employers highly regard employees who are dedicated to their professional development and demonstrate initiative in identifying and overcoming any weaknesses.
STEP 3: Ensure your resume is selling you in the way that you need it to. Knowing yourself, your strengths and what makes you successful is essential in being able to portray yourself on your resume. However, often it can be difficult to ‘toot your own horn’. That’s where Public Service Resumes can help – send us your resume for a FREE appraisal, and we can discuss a plan to ensure your resume is tailored to reflect your strengths and what you can bring to that next role.
STEP 4: Jobs sometimes fall into your lap, but it is also important to go hunting passionately. In addition to dedicating time each day to searching for and applying for roles, get out there and network. If networking in person is something that you do not have time for, then it is beneficial to consider a LinkedIn profile. If you are not sure where to even begin with putting together your profile, contact the team at Public Service Resumes, as optimising profiles to ensure you get the full benefit of the networking platform is something that we excel at.
STEP 5: Check your social media profile. In today’s digital age, the last thing you want to do is sabotage your job search with that New Years Eve photo of you drinking from a yard glass. Public Service Resumes recommends that if you do not want to keep your privacy settings tight, consider posting on topics relevant to your industry to make you look passionate and knowledgeable.
STEP 6: Start cold contacting employers and recruiters, including targeting those that specialise in your field and industry. The right job could be there waiting for you. If your confidence in speaking is lacking, then consider our Interview Skills Coaching. Further, it is always a great idea to follow up that call with a cover letter re-stating your intentions and what you can bring to a role. Again, Public Service Resumes can assist you to put together an ideal generic cover letter that you will only need to modify briefly to ensure it is tailored to each company.
STEP 7: Start applying! However, do not jump in too soon! Too often, many people launch into their applications too early. Public Service Resumes advises that you do it as part of a considered plan. Each and every one of your cover letters, resumes and statements or key selection criteria should be tailored to the job. If this sounds like too big of a task, then that’s where the professional Writers at Public Service Resumes can help. We work with you to deconstruct each job advertisement and position description to ensure each detail is covered.
STEP 8: Prepare and practice for interviews. The best candidates are prepared for any question thrown at them and have considered their strengths and interests. Moreover, it is imperative that you have a thorough insight of the role and company you are applying for. The team at Public Service Resumes have dedicated Interview Skills Coaches that can assist you with this. We can guarantee that you will not regret participating in this service – the skills and insight that you will gain will serve you well not only during your interview but in all aspects of your professional life. Remember to do your best for each interview, but do not expect that you will be successful every time. It is important to reflect on unsuccessful interviews to determine how you can do better and stride confidently into the next interview. If possible, seek feedback from the interview panel as the team at Public Service Resumes can work with you to make improvements for next time.
STEP 9: Review your offers of employment. Some of us are so grateful to receive an offer that we simply say yes to the first one. However, at Public Service Resumes we recommend that you ask yourself some important questions. Namely – will this job move my career in the right direction? What will my future progression be like with this organisation? Will I be satisfied? Is the remuneration package acceptable for my level of qualifications, skills and experience?
STEP 10: If you can answer yes to question nine, then accept the job. Congratulations! It looks like you have nailed the process. But always keep your eyes and ears out for the next opportunity and be prepared with a complete package from Public Service Resumes! Get ready to make 2018 a year to remember!