When Is the Right Time for a Job Change?
Right time for a job change?
With the economy making a recovery (albeit painfully slow), many people are beginning to ask the question: Is this the right time for a job change?
While each person’s circumstances need to be taken into account to answer that question, it’s safe to say that the job market is starting to loosen up. With a growing backlog of projects and cash, companies are beginning to seek out resources that can provide an immediate impact to the organizations objectives. Skill-sets like PeopleSoft are already becoming a highly sought after need in the marketplace.
Being the new kid on the block here at MIPRO, I obviously confronted the job change question and based my decision on a number of factors. I selected MIPRO Consulting because of their reputation, culture and opportunity for growth. But unfortunately, not everyone works in a great environment like we have here. So while I can’t tell you if it’s right for you to make a transition, I can give you some tips on how to prepare yourself for a search, in the event you decide to venture out.
First: Get Prepared
- Update your resume: Make sure your resume is up to date with your most recent skills, accomplishments and education. And don’t just add a few new lines to the old resume. The market is constantly evolving so you’ll want to make it look new and fresh. There are great tools on the internet and in Word/OpenOffice so this is a great time to spruce things up.
- Research: Being at a one place for awhile often skews your perception of activities and processes that are going on in the outside world. Use the internet to search for relevant topics, talk with peers outside your organization and attend seminars/webinars to gain additional insight into your profession. Knowing and understanding current topics/issues is a great way to demonstrate that you can provide immediate value.
Second: Network
- Many people are turned off by the term networking for a variety of reasons. Often, it’s because they don’t feel comfortable asking people for help. The reality is most people enjoy helping others out. It makes them feel good. But I get the issue, so here are a few points to help out:
- Let people know. If you’re uncomfortable asking people for help, simply let them know that you are interested in making a move. If someone can help, just letting them know your intentions will help drive the process.
- Be honest. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes. Letting people know what you’re looking for in your next position will help them narrow down the list of people who you should talk with. And the more targeted your list is, the higher your percentage of getting to the right people will be.
- Get involved. Find reasons to get out and meet your peers. Vendors, like Oracle, host a variety of events where you can go to meet people and companies in the industry. Be sure to leverage them.
Lastly: Be Proactive
- Contrary to many people’s desire, most companies don’t find their leading candidates through the posts on Monster or their web pages. Especially for the good jobs. That’s not to say that it hasn’t worked for you or a friend, but understand, you’re the exception not the rule. Companies feel good that they threw out a “catch all” so they didn’t miss any candidates and prospective applicants feel good because they did something to make a change. But it’s not very effective and there are certainly better ways to get noticed. It just takes more time and more effort.
- Target your search. Identify what companies that you would like to work for. And please note, they’re not always the Fortune 500! Then do your best to know what they do and how you can help them.
- Reach out to them. Try to identify the hiring managers in your area (research and networking) and reach out to them. A manager would much rather talk with someone that really wants to come work there, than someone who’s just “looking for a job”.
- Be persistent. In this economy, most people are doing the work of multiple positions. So, they’re busy –often very busy! Don’t put one or two calls or emails into someone and get discouraged if they don’t reply right away. Send gentle reminders to let them know you’re still interested in meeting with them and ask if there’s someone else that may be more appropriate to contact.
- Be positive and aggressive. It’s your career – go after it. Don’t let others hold you back because of their thoughts or experiences. Just go for it!!
And that’s it in a nutshell. I realized I skimmed over several important points, but I’m confident that if you follow the methodology, your chances of getting in the door at the right place else will increase dramatically. I’ve helped many people with their career pursuits and those who put the outlined effort in, are the most successful. So don’t be shy – if you have questions, please let me know. I’m one of those people that enjoys helping others. It makes me feel good!
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More links:
MIPRO Consulting main website.
