One Caveman's Financial Journey » Career

Start Searching For Your Next Job Before You Need It

That One Caveman — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:53:44 +0000

Whether or not your job is secure, it helps to always be on the hunt for something better. You never know when your current job may be pulled out like a rug from under you, so having other work in the pipeline is like having employment insurance.

If you’re needing a job or just want to go back on the hunt, here’s what you’ll need to do:

Build Your Résumé

Building a résumé is a personal experience. Your résumé needs to stand out, but not be so garish to go immediately to the round file. The best résumé I’ve seen is an elegant, minimalist document that gets right to the point and doesn’t try to “wow” with fancy styling.

Making your résumé inviting and easy-to-read should be your first goal. Don’t try to pack it with overly broad claims. Instead, use simple, direct phrases that get right to the point. Keep your sentences short and remove the fluff.

Most resources suggest drafting your résumé as a Word document. Many HR departments and online job markets have tools that can convert your Word document into a search-able text file, but it can only do so much on its own. By avoiding the temptation to heavily style your résumé, you make it easier for these programs to parse your resume and ultimately make it easier for potential employers to find you.

Once you’ve finished your résumé, post it on all the major job search engines: Monster.com, Beyond.com, CareerBuilder.com, Dice.com, and more.

Here are some resources to help you build your résumé:

Build Your Network

Your “network” is one of your most powerful tools in your job search. The people that you know through various organizations are often your best resource when finding a job or getting recommendations. After losing my first job out of college, I turned to a few professionals I knew through church to help find a new job.

Keep your ears open when you’re with your friends and associates to hear if there’s anything going on that you want to be a part of.

LinkedIn – A professional networking site designed specifically for connecting you with previous (and future) colleagues. By building a strong profile on LinkedIn, you make yourself more available to those who may be searching for you.
Facebook – Many stories have been told about people who ruin their reputations and careers by posting things on Facebook that get back to them. But it’s also a powerful tool to connect to friends and former fellow students and find a job through them.
Twitter – It’s an unconventional means to find a job, but it’s happening more often with the site’s growing popularity. You can search for people who are talking about companies you want to join and introduce yourself.

Get Your Name Out There

If you want a job, you need to let people know you’re searching. Tell everyone who cares that your’e searching and ask that they keep their ears open as well and ask for positive recommendations.

Passively searching in this economy isn’t likely to net you the job of your dreams. You’re going to have to go out and get it yourself. Keep up an active search and you’ll likely find what you’re looking for.

Good luck!

Photo by: star5112

How To Keep Your Job In a Down Economy

That One Caveman — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:18:04 +0000

In rough economic times, keeping your job should be one of your top priorities. Unemployment is rising and there is increasing competition for what few open positions remain – the last thing you want is to be a part of that group of job seekers.

If your employment is at risk (and even if it’s not), here are some ideas that might help you keep your job (and maybe even improve your job status).

Be the Best

It goes without saying that the best-qualified people are more likely to keep their jobs. They’re not immune from the risks of the down market, but their value to the company will put them in the later group of “at-risk” employees.

But not only do you have to be the best, your employer needs to know that you’re the best. Self-marketing of your abilities and skills is a delicate art but the people in charge of hire-or-fire decisions may not know you if they’ve never met you. It’s the best way to keep your job and maybe even get a promotion while you’re at it.

Make Yourself More Valuable

Even if you are “The Best”, there will always be people aiming to take that title away from you. Everyone who wants to succeed in any job market should always be concerned with self-improvement. Take a few classes, get a certification, or even get a degree. Your employer might even pay for your education so you’ll make yourself more valuable to them for little-to-no money out of your own pocket.

Stay Under the Radar

If things aren’t going well, the last thing you want to do is be noticed under any bad light. Of course, you should keep doing your job as you’re supposed to, but definitely don’t stick your neck out unless it’s protected. Make sure your successes are known and your failures are not too heavily noticed.

Offer To Take a Pay Cut

If you know your employer is hurting for cash, you can make a huge impact on your boss by offering to take a temporary pay cut. Having a job that pays a little less is far better than having no job. And if your boss accepts your offer, you will have ingratiated yourself to the company. It’s a risky move, but if you’re desperate enough to have to offer, it’s probably worth it.

Always Be Searching

You never want to be caught by surprise by a lay-off, so you should always be searching for new jobs. I’ve been at my current job for over five years, but I stay active on Monster.com and other job hunting sites. You never know when a better opportunity might come your way. Whether or not you feel like you need to make a switch, the connections you make through searching for a job can help when the day comes where you actually need one.

Hang Your Own Shingle

The best defense to the risk of job loss is to create your own work. Freelancing is a great way to make a side income, get yourself noticed by potential employers, or even become a career of its own. Starting your own company is easy and is an important tool to protect yourself professionally and legally. Whether you choose to freelance on the side or make it your full-time job, check out FreelanceSwitch for ideas that can help you as a freelancer and even as an employee.

Photo by: pixelpony

Career Hacking: How to Get a Raise

That One Caveman — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:16:37 +0000

Last month, I was approaching my 4-year anniversary with my employer and I realized how much has changed since I arrived. I came in as an entry-level code monkey and was bumped up to the next level after one year after a few key departures which gave me the opportunity to prove my skills and value to the company. In the following three years, I continued to really push the product forward and have all but completely restructured our entire application and operating procedures. It became clear to me that I was operating, in many ways, as the lead for the project.

I decided I deserved a promotion to match my growing skills and responsibilities. And now that I’m a sole-breadwinner for my household, I need to grow my income more than ever to cover the new and increasing costs of (joyous) parenthood. I prepared myself, timed my request to happen a few weeks before my annual review, and then finally just came out and asked. When time came for my review, my boss informed me that he did indeed request corporate promote me to the next pay grade. I should find out in the next few weeks what my new salary will be (standard corporate red tape delays).

Here are the steps to success that I followed to get that promotion. Anyone can implement them, so don’t be afraid to ask for that raise if you truly deserve it.

1. Prepare before asking

You have to know before you walk in your boss’s door that you deserve that raise and you can sell your case. Write down all of the big things you’ve done for your company since your last raise. Where you can, give specific figures to really make your point; e.g. “I saved the company $40,000 this year by finding an better open-source alternative than the proprietary package we would have purchased.” Keep this list to the major points because too many details may detract from your overall message.

2. Know your boss and his moods

If your boss is grouchy in the afternoon because of all of the work piling up, request to meet with him early in the day. If your boss is not a morning person and is more pliable after lunch, schedule your meeting in the afternoon. Be flexible because this is the man who is entirely in control of your future with the company – cater to his predispositions for your best shot.

3. Know your employer’s financial situation

If your company is in the middle of a round of lay-offs, it’s best to not come to your boss demanding more money. In fact, it may be risky to your job to ask in that kind of situation. Research your company’s financial outlook and your department’s budget as best you can before asking, just to be safe. Plus, the more you know, the better you will be able to determine a raise they’ll actually say “yes” to.

4. Practice your “speech”

Seriously, rehearse at least twice before going to your boss. You must be completely convincing and know your points before taking the “stage.” This is your make-or-break moment and you only get one shot at it. You cannot afford to not be well-rehearsed before you walk in the door.

5. Don’t press for an immediate answer

Your boss has a lot of things on his mind and will probably have to check with his superiors before awarding you any significant raise or promotion, anyway. Simply lay out your case, tell him that you would like for him to think about your request and your value to the company, and leave. Keep it short and succinct; you’ll make a better impression to your time-sensitive boss and you’ll have less of a chance of messing it up by talking too much. If your boss agrees with you, he will likely make the recommendation; if he doesn’t, you’re not going to change his mind by going on and on about it.

As always, there are no guarantees of success and there are many other variables that must be considered, but you won’t get that big raise if you don’t ask for it!

Other people have written on the same subject with their own opinions on how to ask for and get a raise. Visit them for more ideas.

A guest post on Get Rich Slowly shares how to go about requesting (and receiving) the raise you deserve.
Free Money Finance writes regularly on the subject.
The Simple Dollar gives suggestions on what to do with the money after you get the raise.