August is a big month for vacations, and vacation weeks are a great time to start launching your job search. You have the freedom from your daily responsibilities and the different perspective that only a vacation brings.
So take a little time from relaxing to perform these top 5 tasks before launching your job search:
- Set up a system for keeping track of the positions, companies, and individuals you apply to. This system can be paper or online based, but you should have easy access to it when you receive that phone call out of the blue asking you to interview for a job. You never want to start a conversation by asking “what company is this and what job opening are you talking about?”
- Make sure your online pictures and profiles are all professional. Now is the time to clean up anything on your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles that could be detrimental to your professional image. If you do not have a recent professional photograph, set up an appointment with a photographer.
- Make sure that, when people phone or email you, they will receive a professional response. Set up a non-work phone number and email address for your job search—you want to be free to speak with recruiters and hiring managers when they call, and you do not want some random “helpful” individual to respond in your stead at the wrong time. During your job search, make sure that the message on your cell phone or answering machine, your email address, and all of your communications with potential employers are professional.
- Begin to research companies you are interested in. You should prepare yourself ahead of time with information about companies that have posted job opportunities. In addition, let’s say that you are an HR professional, for example, and notice that a local company is growing but does not have a full-time HR department. You can make a note to reach out to them to see if they are interested in your skills.
- Make a to-do list. We all know how satisfying it is to cross an item off a to-do list. Summer vacation is the perfect opportunity to write down what you need to make your job search successful, from hiring a professional photographer and resume writer to networking once a week at a professional organization or calling a recruiter you worked with before to announce your availability.
When you are ready to start your job search, Robin’s Resumes® is ready with career coaching and resume writing. Contact us today.