By Sunny Simon
Thinking about making a job change? Okay, great. I’m all for growing your career, but lately I been reviewing a number of resumes lacking focus and direction. Sure, recruiters get this is not your grandfather’s career path. Hiring managers do not expect to see employees logging 15 or 20 years for the same employer on every resume crossing their desk. But job hoping tarnishes a resume so before you jump ship, take a long hard look at where you’ve been, and where you want to land.
Before we talk past and future, the most important question is, why are you leaving? There are multiple valid reasons for launching a job search, and some equally important motives for staying put.
If boredom has set in and you find yourself living for the weekends, it may not be your employers fault. Perhaps you’ve been passed over for promotions because your skills are outdated. That happens when you get too comfortable with the routine and start coasting rather than making an effort in your own personal development.
Take stock of what you’ve done recently to improve your skill set. If you don’t have some interesting new technical talents to add to your resume, perhaps it’s best to delay the job search and enroll in some classes. Let your employer know when you’ve completed the coursework. You could land a job internally once you’ve learned some new skills.
Are you feeling undercompensated? What makes you think so? Prior to sending your resume out into the world, do some homework. Investigate what your skills and experience are worth in today’s market. You can do that by asking a recruiter to review your resume and weigh in on a salary range. Do some data digging on websites like www.salary.com or www.payscale.com . If your annual salary is coming up short, have a discussion with your manager and bring the proof. It may be possible to have your job reevaluated and bumped to a higher salary range.
If you’ve done a fact check and skill-set review and your gut tells you it’s time to move on, then do so. Once again, due diligence is involved. Come up with a check list of what the position, compensation, and the management should look like before you job shop. If you focus and choose wisely with eyes on the future, you won’t have to repeat this process next year and risk tarnishing your resume.
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching and the author of the blog, www.lifeonthesunnyside.net
