You have spent many years establishing your career. You're always looking for that next opportunity that will take you higher up the ladder and closer to your goals. An established job seeker who understands the job market knows that they do not necessarily have a significant advantage over people with little to no experience. It is all in the tools you have—a career assessment, an updated resume, career counselors and other resources.
Here are some essential career tools that established job seekers need to keep their career moving.
An annual career assessment
An established job seeker needs to keep in mind that the requirements of their field change on a regular basis. The best way to determine if your skills are still suited to meet your career goals is to take a career test each year. Not only will a career test show you what you need to do to maintain your career, but it will also show you the steps you need to take to get ahead as well.
An updated CV
Cover letters are normally written individually for each company you apply to, but your CV is a template that needs to be updated on a regular basis. Did you just get promoted at your current job? Then you need to update your application materials to reflect that change and make the optimal CV for the position you hope to achieve next. One misconception established job seekers have is that an updated CV is only necessary when they need to look for a new job. If you are truly interested in maximising your career, then an updated CV is critical to your success.
A career counsellor
A career counsellor is a professional who can help an established job seeker toutilise all of the resources at their disposal and maximise their career potential. Proactive job seekers utilise the knowledge of a career counselloreven when they feel that they have a stable job. A career counsellor will point out the changes you need to make to keep your focus on your career path and make sure that you are meeting all of your goals.
Referral letters
The one thing that an established job hunter has over someone who is new to the field is a trail of co-workers and managers that can offer referrals when it is time to look for a new job. While it is difficult to ask for referral letters while you are working for a company, it is mandatory to ask for referral letters when it is time to move on to your next opportunity. Aggressive and established job seekers have a file of referral letters that they can refer to whenever they need something to help enhance their job hunt.
Once you've leveraged your career assessment, your network contacts, your refreshed CV and the other tools in this list, you'll be ready to impress any hiring manager. You've already invested a great deal of time and resources into your career, so it's important to equip yourself to find the success that you deserve.
