If the past two years of a pandemic has taught us anything, it is that life is too short. It’s cliché, and it does not hold a lot of credence until it hits home. For me, this has just hit home. Before working with THR Partners, I was teacher. Saturday, we celebrated the life of my dear friend who was a former co-worker. Now understand that for a teacher, retirement is the Promised Land. We dream of it. I made it to the Promised Land. My forty-two-year-old friend did not. She was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and died four months later. I keep thinking that she never made it to her professional goal of retiring and beginning a second career.
For a week I have wondered how many other people never make it to their professional goal. Are you one of them? Are you where you want to be? Is there another company, position, or career you want? Are you living out your dream? If you are not, know that it will not just miraculously happen. What are YOU doing to get there? Working as a project manager for a recruiting company, I spend hours each day trying to find a candidate for open jobs. Here are my very simple suggestions to help move you in the right direction.
1. Update your resume. Have it ready at a moment’s notice. If you struggle, find help via free online resume generators, or hire a technical/business writer. Many of the resumes I read have not been updated for several years, do not list current information, and sometimes do not provide pertinent information at all. I have seen resumes with no phone numbers and no emails. I have even found one with a person’s initials, but no name. It is impossible to be found for your dream job if you can not be contacted. Also, do not be afraid to add your interests, community service, or special skills. These are very telling when someone is searching for the right employee.
2. Make sure your resume has been put out into the universe, so to speak. You must put it in a job search site such as Monster, ZipRecruiter, CareerBuilder, etc. If your resume is not listed in a search site, no one knows you exist, much less can inform you of jobs that may be exactly what you want.
3. Get an account on LinkedIn. The site states, “Welcome to LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network with 774+ million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.” Employers and recruiters visit LinkedIn every single day. If you are not professionally advertising yourself on it, just know that 774 million others are, and they are more visible to get a position than those who are not.
4. Contact THR Partners. Every day the company is dedicated to matching the right people with the right jobs. It is what we do. Our goal is “Propelling Professionals to Their IDEAL Position or Next Step on Their Career Ladder.”
Today begin pursing the IDEAL position you want. Yes, we are still fighting a pandemic, but what better time to take charge of your career? If not now, when? People are not only living, but also dying never fulfilling what they consider to be their career goal. There is no time to wait. Life is too short.
By Beth Brown, THR Partners, Staff Writer