I wrote the previous post titled Job Hunting on Sept 21 and scheduled it to be published Sept 27. Ironically, I was laid off in the interim :) So as I get back into the job hunt (or job killing, as I said in the post), I plan to post some tips on making your hunt successful.
Everyone intends to update their resume while they’re still working. If you don’t, you may forget to include the great experience you got from that 3-week project 6 months ago. But for those of us who don’t, I have some good tips.
Update Your Resume
From Your Memory
First thing you need to do is pull up your resume and start word-vomiting all over the thing. Add every scrap of information you can recall. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, formatting (geez don’t think about formatting until your content is completely finished otherwise you’re wasting time), nothing. Just get the info onto the page.
From Job Postings
After you feel you’ve gotten everything you can think of onto the page, go to a job search website (Indeed, glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, etc), search for your position (in my case I searched for both JavaScript Developer and Scrum Master since they both apply), and read through several job postings to job your memory about things you did but forgot, and to learn what is important on a resume. You might discount your experience with this tool or you knowledge of this framework, but if it’s mentioned in a job posting, stick it in your resume somewhere (still don’t bother about grammar, spelling, etc).
From Former Co-Workers and Friends / Family
You might touch up the grammar and spelling before doing this, but don’t worry too much about it. Reach out to former co-workers who you’re friendly with and ask them to look over your resume. Ask them to recommend things to add and things to remove. They might remember something really cool that you did, which otherwise may have remained forgotten.
Reach out to trusted friends and family, even if they have no knowledge or experience in your industry, and ask them what they would change about your resume. They may have better insight into your ‘soft skills’ than anyone else, and those are important to put on resumes.
Update Your Online Presence
Some might consider your online presence an extension of your resume, so I include this step here. Let every website know that you’re actively searching. LindedIn and Indeed may be obvious, but don’t forget about other sites that have more recently added job search features like StackOverflow and Glassdoor, as well as the less-travelled job search sites like AngelList. I’m not active on Facebook, but they’re probably getting into the job search game, too. Update your job preferences, and all the other information that these sites have on you. It’s very likely that things have changed since you last did this.
Now’s a good time to get an updated headshot and upload it to each of these sites as well. Some insist a good headshot is vital, others are more dubious, but it won’t hurt.
Happy hunting. Remember, being laid off, let go, fired, or whatever you call it isn’t the end of the world. You only truly fail if you don’t get back up after being knocked down. You were just knocked down, now get back up. You can do it.
TECHibid 