Career Strategies When Youre Between Jobs

Career Strategies When Youre Between JobsCareer Strategies When Youre Between JobsCareer Strategies When Youre Between JobsCareer strategies to keep your career moving forward between jobs, even if your job search is put on hold.While most career experts warn professionals to think twice before taking a break between jobs, there are many job seekers who take some time off before starting their job search in earnest. These people usually fall into one of these categories(1) Recent college graduates who decide to take one last summer or winter break off before they enter the real world(2) Experienced professionals who feel the need to take some time off after leaving or getting laid off from a stressful work environment(3) Professionals who are facing a crisis in another part of their lives and feel compelled to leave their job while they handle the matter, with no designs of finding another stelle right away and(4) Unemployed professionals who were searching for a new job for a while, to no avail, and decide they need a break from the stress of the job search.If youve decided to put your job search on hold for awhile, it may be tempting to forget about your career altogether during that period. Resist that urge Its in your best interest to take small steps during your sabbatical from the job search to keep your career moving in the right direction.Work on your personal brandUse this time to work on the different pieces of your personal brand, such as your professional resume and cover letter and your online presence. Submit your resume for a free review so you get a handle on how much time youll need to dedicate to getting your resume in good shape before your job search. Also, run a Google search on your name, as it appears on your resume, to see what information employers will find when they search for you.If you have any personal social media accounts you dont want employers to associate with your candidacy, nows the time to increase the security settings and change the usernames to a nickname so youre confident your private accounts are well-hidden from recruiters.Click on the following link to download my free personal branding checklist.Turn parties into networking goldminesYou dont have to attend formal business networking events and industry conferences to build a valuable network of connections. While youre officially out of the job search, take advantage of your social activities to work on your networking skills. Remember, every block party, wedding reception, and holiday get-together is a networking opportunity in the making.Use these events to practice delivering your elevator pitch and connect with new people. You never know, the guy dating your sisters best friend could be the key to landing your new job standort in the future. You may not be in an active job-search mode right now, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt lay the groundwork for informational interviews down the road.RelatedHow to Turn Holiday Parties into Networkin g GoldminesLearn a new job skillWhen you find yourself back in the job market, employers will want to know what you were doing with your time between jobs. Thats why its in your best interest to find ways to sharpen your current job skills or learn something new. For instance, you may decide to volunteer for an organization that is near and dear to your heart and allows you to leverage your soft and hard skills. You can find these skill-based volunteer opportunities on sites like Catchafire.Even if youre planning the ultimate post-college vacation, you can still brush up on a skill through a self-paced online course offered on platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, and Lynda.com, or pick up one of these highly-recommended career development books to read during your travels.Get a jobYes, I know. If youre reading this article, its because you already decided to pause your job search for the time being. I get it. However, theres a difference between pursuing a job thats important for your long-term career path and landing a short-term gig that will provide some income while your career is on cruise control.For a recent college grad, it may mean going back to that sweet lifeguarding gig youve had for the past few summer breaks or some other temporary job that isnt related to your career goals. For other professionals, it may translate to a volunteer punkt or a freelance opportunity.In an ideal world, your position would still help you gain relevant industry experience or build skills that are considered important for the next role you pursue in your career. Regardless, its easier to explain to employers what youve been doing during your time between jobs when you can show youve been working, even if its not relevant to your current job search.Recharge your batteriesIf youre going to take some time off, make sure youre getting the RR you need. Take time during this break to relax, get plenty of rest, and indulge in some pampering so youre reenergized when its time to g et back into the job market.Take these little steps while your job search is on hold and youll be sure to keep your career on track while between jobs.And, when youre ready to jumpstart your job search again, download my free job-search action plan to get started. Click on the following link for more job-search advice.Want to see how your resume stacks up? Request a free review todayRecommended ReadingHow Does Money Come in During a Career Change?How to Get in the Right Mindset for the Remote Job SearchUnemployment Guide 9 Ways to Make the Most of It

How to Use a New Job Offer to Re-Negotiate Your Current Salary

How to Use a New Job Offer to Re-Negotiate Your Current SalaryHow to Use a New Job Offer to Re-Negotiate Your Current Salary Salary negotiations can be a tricky game to play. If youre currently very happy in your job, but an offer finds its way into your lap (say, through a headhunter reaching out, or a previous employer trying to win you back with an offer you cant refuse), should you leverage this offer to negotiate a higher salary? The answer would really depend on your willingness to tarnish the relationship with your current organization, and your willingness to jump ship should a manager call your bluff. With those risks in mind, the end result could be positive and result in a healthy salary increase. Should you decide that leveraging an external opportunity is the route you want to take, here are some Dos and Donts to keep in mind when stepping into these kinds of negotiation talks . You love your current job but youre willing to leave and accept the exter nal offer if your current organization is unwilling to match the salary. Only have the conversation if youre 100% ready to take your new external offer. Assume youre going into the conversation with the mentality that you would take the offer should your manager notlage be willing to match. If youre not fully ready to accept the new offer , you could be left in a worse off position than before as you risk hurting the relationship you have with your current company. Take some time to objectively look at your own performance and position, as well as the relationship with your boss. If you know youre a top performer on your team, and the organization would do whatever it takes to keep you, then you could be very successful with negotiating through an external offer. However, if youre not leading the pack, your boss could have an easier time parting ways with you than expected. How long have you been with the organization? If youve just started, making high demands could likely ref lect poorly on your professional brand .Be hostile in any way. Rather, highlight your loyalty to the organization, passion for the role, and desire to stay on board. Alan Zel, President and CEO of Aikinu staffing , cautions to be very moderate, and approach this conversation with a soft pedal , as it will reflect upon you negatively if you come across as exploitative or aggressive. In this situation, its important to highlight that you really want to stay within the organization.You love your job, but youre not willing to take the external offer should the conversation not go in your favor. Remember to think through if youre willing to play the negotiation game. Gain data and confidence . If youre not in a space where accepting the alternative offer is a realistic option for you, you can use this offer as data about your value within the market. With this data, and hopeful boost of confidence in mind, you can set up a meeting with your boss to review your role, your accomplishmen ts, and discuss how your compensation lines.Use your external offer as a negotiation bluff. If youre not prepared to follow through with the offer, then going into negotiations will make yourself vulnerable and tell your boss that youre looking for a new role and potentially checked out. This could create a hostile environment for you to be working in as it will leave a sour taste in your boss mouth.Unfortunately, in many situations, you might need to light some fire under your company in order to get the compensation you deserve . If youre job seeking, and you want to leave for reasons beyond salary, then accepting any counter-offers wont be worth your time as youll remain unhappy. However, if the salary is your main point of contention, then leveraging an external offer might not be a terrible move. While there are many associated risks, if you play your cards right, show your company that youre still committed, and can build a case for your value, you could reap major rewards St acy Pollack is a Learning Specialist with an MA in Educational Technology. She is passionate about building leadership programs that engage and contribute to the success of her organization. She loves to share her perspective on workplace development, career building, and networking for success. Connect with her on LinkedIn , Twitter , or at www.stacypollack.com.

4 Ways to Survive Sink-or-Swim Training a New Job - The Muse

4 Ways to Survive Sink-or-Swim Training a New Job - The Muse4 Ways to Survive Sink-or-Swim Training a New JobOn the first day of my new corporate job, I expected a strategically laid out, step-by-step training plan, which would flawlessly transition me from timid newbie to confident, competent professional.What I actually received was a swift shove into the deep end of a bottomless pool of information. To my dismay, my company didnt have a formal training plan- new employees were just supposed to jump in, learn as they went, and do whatever it took to keep their heads above water.Is this the ideal way to do things? Probably not. But unfortunately, sink-or-swim training is the norm at many workplaces. So, how can you survive- and more importantly, succeed- without getting overwhelmed or over-stressed? After being on both sides of the table (both as a new employee, and later, as a manager at the same company), I can tell you that its not going to be easy- but with these tips, you can m ake it.1. Make Friends QuicklyWhen you dont have a trainer by your side, your saving grace will be a few go-to co-workers who you can approach with your questions. Your teammates probably had similar panic-inducing training experiences, so theyll likely be willing to lend a sympathetic hand to help get you tischsettled. So, strike up friendly conversation from the get-go, because when you cant remember how to access your voicemail or find a clients account in the CRM software, youre going to need the help of someone who does it regularly.However, keep in mind that while your team is a great resource, training you isnt necessarily part of your co-workers job descriptions. While theyll probably be happy to answer a few questions, they wont be able to dedicate a huge chunk of their time to explain every detail of the job. So, forge a connection with as many of your teammates as you can- youll be able to evenly distribute your questions and, more importantly, develop relationships and a culture of teamwork along the way.2. Put in the Extra EffortSure, the rest of your team may leave the office at 5 on the dot, but if youre truly committed to succeeding in a trial-by-fire environment, youre going to have to put in a little extra effort until youve grown more comfortable in your new position.This looks a little different for everyone, depending on your specific role and the field youre in. For example, if your position requires you to learn detailed processes, maybe you need to take notes throughout the day, then set aside time in the afternoon to type up a summary of each thing you learned. Maybe you just need a little extra quiet time in the morning before everyone else arrives to make sense of the mess of files stacked on your desk. No matter what approach you choose, putting in a little extra time and effort in these first few weeks will make a huge difference in your learning curve.3. If You Cant Find What You Need- AskAs I struggled during my first few weeks o n the job, Id watch my boss bustle from meeting to meeting without a glance toward me, and I couldnt help but think, Does she even know she has a new employee?Heres what I quickly learned Instead of pouting at your desk, waiting for your manager to come ask if you need something, take the initiative to approach her. Its intimidating to ask your new boss for help, but its important, particularly if youre having a hard time learning something important or cant track down the resources you need to finish an assignment. Remember, even though shes busy, she wants you to succeed.That said, when you ask, be specific. You may be tempted to approach her with a broad So, what should I do now? But considering she may not know exactly what youve already learned and what you still need to tackle, itll be hard for her to provide direction.Instead, try, Im getting ready to dig into a clients account, but Im not too familiar with our customer service policies. Is there a training video I can watch, or a specific employee I can shadow to learn more?4. Jump Right InIm typically very timid in new situations, and I like to have as much information as possible before I start on an unfamiliar task- if Im going to do something, I want to do it right the first time So imagine when, on my third day at my new job, there was an angry client on the phone and my boss volunteered me to jump on the line.I tried to protest (But I dont know what Im talking about) and even suggested a compromise (Can Sam take the call, and Ill listen in? That way, Ill be prepared for the next one). But it wasnt up for discussion- the call was mine.And Ill be honest It wasnt pretty. I didnt convey confidence, I stammered through my words, and I had to put the client on hold- several times- to ask co-workers how to handle specific questions or issues. But, no matter how terrible it was, the worst was over- and the only way to go was up.Unfortunately, when youre in a sink-or-swim position, youre not always going to be fully prepared when you face unfamiliar tasks. So you can either fruitlessly wait (or in my case, beg) for sufficient instruction, or you can embrace the uncertainty and jump in. Of course, dont go crazy- offering a customer a full refund without knowing company policy probably isnt a great idea- but go ahead and take a call from a client, or take your best shot at putting together a report youre not familiar with. You may not do it perfectly, but youre going to impress your team a lot more than if you had refused to try at all.Needless to say, youre going to feel stressed- and thats normal. But if you relentlessly pursue the end goal (i.e., finally figuring out what in the world youre supposed to be doing and how to do it) with confidence and initiative, youll make it out of the deep end. Probably sooner than you think.Photo of woman working courtesy of Shutterstock.