By Evelyn Milani
You’re Seeking a New Career with a New Company-Here’s how to Optimize your efforts
So, it’s a new year and after careful consideration, your alignment with your core goals and values and speaking with people who are important to you, you have decided to take the leap and explore a new career with a new company.
Congratulations for making a choice! Challenging careers abound and many high-demand technologists have a short ramp to multiple offers across the US.
The highest demand for tech careers are in the following skills:
Data Scientists
Data Engineers
DevOps Engineers
Cloud Engineers
Software Developers, Python is upcoming and fast approaching
Product Managers, Scrum Masters
In order to maintain your current job while you quietly explore new career options, it is key to organize your efforts. You will drive yourself crazy and may make a bad decision if your efforts are not well-thought out. Here are some tips that will optimize your efforts and improve your chances of landing that perfect new career:
Update your Linkedin profile. I am amazed when people do not keep their Linkedin profiles up to date by highlighting their accomplishments, certifications and new skills such as Agile. Most technical recruiters use Linkedin to find the best talent. If your updated skills are not listed, you may be passed over for that perfect position.
Get a second opinion on your Linkedin profile and your resume. A good recruiter or trusted mentor can advise on how you can put your “best foot forward” on paper.
Broaden your business network. Attend MeetUp groups that align with your interests and skills. BeerJS in Sacramento is a well-attended MeetUp for developers as is Women in Data. You can meet people and potentially, new employers. Also, connect with influencers in your Linkedin network. Think about asking for introductions from friends to people in their network who have achieved the career goals you are looking to achieve. (We will be discussing how to identify a mentor in our next series of articles). Having a new connection allows you to send a note and commend the new connection for achieving career goals you aspire to. Maybe they will provide some tips!
Create a list of target employers based on the pace of work, mission and culture that works best for you. The Sacramento Business Journal provides a list of the fastest-growing companies in the area with the number of employees, revenue, product line, etc. This can be a great tool to target your research. Have you succeeded in a fast paced, smaller company? You may want to consider younger technology companies. Have you acclimated better in a moderately paced, more structured environment? More established, larger companies may be a better fit for you. Also, leverage your network, can you ask a friend of a friend who works for one of your target companies how they like it? Glassdoor IS NOT the be-all, end all for company ratings.
Target the best job boards for your skills and career goals. There are many to select from- you should know which is best for you based on the relevant, local career opportunities that are posted. Use two or three job boards at most and set up “search agents” with broad terms to attract a variety of positions that will be pushed to your email daily.
Hone your interview skills. Are you able to articulate what you do in layman’s terms? Can you quickly identify a high impact project you participated in and answer specific questions about your role in that project? Do you have a ten-second elevator pitch ie: “I organize massive amounts of data so our company’s leadership can make sound, impactful business decisions”. Practice a one-sentence statement that describes the impact you make.
Study local-market salary information on glassdoor or indeed (both have salary calculators and may or may not be accurate) based on your years of experience and specific skills.
Align with a great recruiter who will partner with you. Establish realistic expectations and let the recruiter know exactly what you are looking for. (my hand is raised here;)
Go get em! Give yourself four to eight weeks to get to the point of an Offer but maximize your efforts by minimizing your target companies.
If I can help, send me a note at [email protected]