Are you ready for your next job?

Well, I wasn’t, and I should have been.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see my last employment as what would get me my next job, but after being unemployed for 2 months I think different.

Don’t get me wrong, I like stability, but whatever you do at your work place must help you get your next job. Lets go over a few tips.

1- Stay up to date with what is out there: It doesn’t matter if your organization is small, budget constraints, you hate Microsoft/Linux, your boss is happy with the 486sx PCs you have or your are just overwhelmed with the day to day IT stuff, you still need to stay in touch with reality. You can go to vender events, online webinars, blogs, create a lab or whatever you can think of, you have to know what is out there, and not just technology, but also things like PMI, CMMI, or ITIL. Most likely you have been working at the same place for a few years and the next job will require some of the things I just mentioned. Just because you don’t use them at your current job doesn’t mean others don’t use it.

2- Have a good network of colleagues: A good way to get a job is by referral, and to do that you need contacts in other companies. Most likely you already have friends, schoolmates and colleagues in other companies that can help you. Another way is at the vender events, there you can make acquaintances with other people in the industry. You can also use social websites like LinkedIn, this site is the largest professional network on the Internet with more than 90 million members in over 200 countries. Its Facebook, but for professionals. Lots of recruiters look at candidates profiles, they can see what you have done, recommendations, what others think about you, etc. The more people you know, the better chance to get a job.

3- Try not to fall into a very specific niche: It may be that you are working in Development linking to a weird application that no one uses, or support a platform that is used by 1% of the industry. If this is the case, you may be in trouble. Yes there is some sort of job security, but you never know. Most likely, the very specific skill you have learned will not be used on your next job, for instance, I know how to integrate TAXWare with .NET, but can I use it down here in Chile? I don’t think so… so why even put it on the resume. You just might dig yourself into a hole if your niche is to specific, so keep up to date with other technologies and development trends. I heard an ex colleague mention this as the reason why is was changing jobs. What he was doing was so specific that the integration of this product he worked with that none of what he learned over the last year or so was used elsewhere.

4- Certification is a must: Ahhh…. Certification…… This should be seen as a long term investment in yourself. If you are working as a helpdesk tech, its more than clear that you most likely know by now most of the problems with Windows 7, or if you are a Network Admin, you know by now how to create a user account or email account in Exchange. So why get certified? Will my current employer pay me more? Not likely so why bother? Well, the next time you look for a job, that certification will make your resume stand out a bit more than the other 150 candidates! That’s why. Have you ever seen on a job posting ITIL certification desired? Well, the guy that just got certified yesterday will have a better shot for that job over you that have been leading projects for 5 years and have no certification. So, see what is being asked for, and get certified in it. And by the way, you might be able to sell the certification pitch to your boss and have the company pay for it!

5- Look for a job once ever year or two: I was told a long time ago to put your resume online every 18 months and apply for a few jobs just to see what your are worth. I did that in 2000 just before the .com bubble bust in the US and in a few weeks I got calls from DELL, Disney and Pandesic, all wanted to interview me… Keep in mind that you always think you have some sort of an advantage over all the rest, but why wait until you need a new job to find it out? Some good sites are http://www.careerbuilder.com and http://home.monster.com in the US; http://www.trabajando.cl/ and http://www.laborum.cl/ in Chile

6- Validate your references: I have heard a number of times (and this happed to me) that people seem not to understand why they cant get a job. Well don’t be surprised that you are getting bad references. Have a friend call your last boss and see what references you get. The best you can do is to get a Letter of Recommendation, that way you have it in writing and it will avoid or at least minimize calls to your last employer.


Don’t think just because you do your job well you will be at your post for ever, even Admiral Kirk got benched for a while. Be prepared! As a good friend once told me “prepare for the worst and hope for the best”, once you are on the street, there is not much you can do, so do it while you are in a position where it can be done.

Please feel free to comment on any of this, or add more job search web sites.

George,
The Captain.