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5 Best Career Change Ideas and Advice in your Midlife

Career-Planning-Guide[1]Whether your decision to make a career change at midlife is influenced by boredom and ennui in your present work, financial reasons, or wanting to follow your true passion, the first important step that you should take is to acknowledge the fact that you are making a decision that doesn’t fall short of life-changing. There are, after all, lots of factors to consider; all the more so if you already have a family to raise, as you would definitely have to consult them as well.

If you are looking for some midlife career change ideas worth remembering, then you need only to read the advice we have listed below. Not only could this help direct you towards the right direction that your life should take from this point onwards, but it could also clear any doubts that you still have about going on with this truly important life decision.

1) Take some time off

You would definitely need a lucid, stress-free mind to make such a critical decision so be sure to invest time in thinking about your future prospects and plans. Preferably, this should be done alone, in a place where you are certain you can find peace and solitude. It won’t take long for you to discover that, with a mind that is at peace and unburdened by everyday problems, you won’t find it hard to begin looking at things more clearly and positively.

2) Be realistic

One of the most overused, banal sayings about the topic of career change is that you should “do what you love”. While this is something that most of us would, as much as possible, not want to label as mere wishful thinking, it’s simply not always the case in real life. This is why when weighing your decisions, you should always lean more towards something that would be feasible, without sacrificing the things that ignite your passion. This is why “Learn to love what you do” could prove to be the better maxim.

3) Be open to taking career assessment tests

These tests are specifically designed to help people who want to get the career that they’ve always wanted, so never hesitate to take them. They would surely help you get a better view of all the options that you have, as they are tests that involve finding out your skills, personality strengths and weaknesses, and, ultimately, your real passion. What’s good about these types of tests is that they are also available as self-assessment tests online, and you can take them anytime you want.

4) Take action

By this time, you are probably already quite aware and confident of the things that you’re good at This is why if you decide to do something or embark on a new endeavor, always make it a point to equip yourself with the necessary knowledge and skills to start taking action as soon as possible. Experience, after all, is the best teacher. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck at the planning and analyzing part. Most of the time, it’s only when you dive into the water that you begin discovering new opportunities and possibilities.

5) You’re not alone

Seek the help of others, may they be your friends or professionals. Your loved ones are always there to support you. You are not limited to your social circles as well, because there are trained professionals such as career coaches who are ready to help give you other good midlife career change advice, which could very well demystify and reveal opportunities that you hadn’t thought of and noticed before.

Always remember that if you really have a positive outlook and the willpower to undergo such a major change, then you can practically do and get anything that you strive for. By simply keeping these tips in mind, even if you encounter setbacks (and more often than not, you most assuredly will), you can always shake off the mud from the battleground of life and triumphantly continue on until you reach your goal.

By Steve Bohler

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7 Ways to Move Up by Moving Over

careers-advice-puzzle-shows-employment-guidance-advising-ass-showing-assistance-[1]Over is the new up in many jobs and industries. Learn how to use lateral moves and other off-the-ladder opportunities for career catapults and avoid getting derailed.

Are you looking for that next career challenge but unsure how to get there? Climbing the corporate ladder might not be the only way. Today more than ever, a career detour just might lead to your career destiny. At every level — including the top — professionals, managers, and executives-in-waiting commonly zigzag through several lateral lurches before stepping up to their destination position.

Why has lateral become the new way to the top? The recession is partly to blame — the hierarchy in many companies flattened and compressed during the recession, effectively eliminating rungs that were previously part of the expected climb.

Because of this reality, it has become more important to “think sideways.” If you don’t plan ahead by considering lateral rotations as part of your career development plan, you may end up stuck on your current ladder rung indefinitely, unless you find a way to take a larger-than-usual step up. Yet paradoxically, exceptional advancement is less likely if you haven’t taken the time to boost your experience and confidence with lateral moves.

Here is a helpful analogy: “If you’re stuck in a traffic jam and it may be hours before you’re able to move forward, it makes sense to change lanes and exit on a side road where you can more quickly navigate around it. Sitting in the traffic jam and fuming doesn’t get you anywhere.”

For advice on how to effectively turn a side step into a step up, TheLadders asked several career-development experts to weigh in:

  1. Make It Make Sense. Without a strategic career path, lateral moves can become merely a merry-go-round. You must proactively plot your own career plan to make sense of diagonal and lateral moves. “Your employer won’t do it for you, so the first thing to know is that it’s up to you to pursue and land opportunities that advance your career agenda.

A great place to start is to envision your next “up” move, and then reverse-engineer the qualifications you need to make a serious run for that position. assess your current experience and skill set to determine what you might need to get where you want to go.

Ask yourself: Am I lacking hands-on operational experience? Proven expertise in a business skill, such as client retention? A working knowledge of a relevant slice of technology? What skill set would tee up my success in that position? By comparing the skills required by your next-step job to the skills you currently have, you’ll quickly see the gaps that a lateral move can fill.

  1. Do What Needs to Be Done. Your informal self-assessment will likely uncover areas where your skills could be stronger to get you to the next level. Determine specific strategic actions that will help you reach your career goals faster.

If you are a project manager who wants to become a department manager, you might need two things: a stronger network outside your department so that your reputation is already established with your potential new peers, and broader exposure to customers and clients so you can show that you can drive growth as well as get work accomplished.

In this case, she suggested considering a short-term rotation to cultivate relationships with other departments and functions, or working on an assignment that puts you and your team on a customer-facing project.

  1. Volunteer Strategically. It can be difficult to find time for volunteer projects in the midst of your primary career responsibilities. But strategic volunteering can be a powerful way to rapidly expand your network of influencers and to backfill business skills.

To spin community service into an opportunity for lateral rotation, join an organizational committee whose volunteers complement—yet don’t duplicate—your existing network. Look to your current skills for a logical toehold (for example, if you work in marketing, join the marketing committee).

Your end game is to transition to an assignment that builds your business skills, once your credibility is established. So a marketing exec, needing operational and financial management experience, might volunteer to co-chair an annual appeal. Such assignments tee up result-driven case studies for employees to bring back to their day job, illustrating business skills that prove their qualification for general management.

  1. Ensure You’re Still Learning. While sometimes taking a few steps sideways — or even back — can help you move forward, not all lateral moves or career detours will take you in the direction that you ultimately want to go. The trick is knowing which will and which won’t.

It can be detrimental to take a detour if you’re unlikely to learn anything new in the next position. “If you are switching to gain different skills or expand your network in the company, then a sideways turn could be helpful.” “However, if you are switching into a role where you cannot leverage any of your existing skills, then you should hear an internal alarm go off.” To help avoid a dead end, evaluate any lateral move in light of whether it will expand your skill set or neutralize what may be viewed as outdated or “legacy” experience.

Career detours can be beneficial if they round out your overall experience and practical education. “Some detours enhance your understanding of an industry or related industries—for example, industries that are vertically integrated.” “When determining whether a career detour is beneficial, consider how you will use your newly acquired skills for subsequent roles.”

  1. Decide for Yourself What ‘Up’ Means. Part of effective career planning is knowing what’s right for you. If you reach a career crossroads where a move feels wrong based on your own goals and vision—whether it’s sideways, up, or down—listen to yourself. Not everyone’s path makes sense as a vertical trajectory. “We often enter the workforce thinking it’s a straight path to the top.” “Usually it’s not.”

A senior leader who knew that the next available step up on his organization’s traditional ladder would force him to spend more time traveling — something he dreaded with a young son at home. But after he spent time redefining what career advancement really meant to him, he discovered that his current post gave him the flexibility and true advancement opportunity that he wanted.

“He chose to stay put, to recognize that growing in his current role would not be a detour, but sacrificing his personal values would be.” “He’s been happily succeeding personally and professionally ever since.”

  1. Leverage the Lattice. Whether your lateral move comes about by design or decree, there are ways you can maximize time spent horizontally. One advantage of latticed moves is that they allow you to experience different viewpoints and perspectives.

“Instead of looking down my own ladder, I’m going to look across the lattice of the organization,” said Halley Bock, CEO and president of Fierce, Inc. “Rather than asking for input from people who share my perspective and experience, the question becomes how to embrace and leverage the different vantage points, including those of different generations.”

 

Offering lateral moves as an alternative to straight-upward movement can be particularly important for the younger workforce, according to Bock. “The opportunity to work among different teams can give variety and depth to employees’ work experience,” said Bock. She added that Millennials bring a strong desire to share their experience and make a difference—so offering multiple avenues to learn and grow can be essential for retaining top young talent.

  1. Create Your Own Promotion. With the collapse of mid-management roles in many companies, an employee with 10 to 15 years of experience may suddenly find there’s no next level in sight—their leaders may be in the same age range with no plans to retire or leave any time soon. In cases where you can’t expect a promotion, it may be time to orchestrate your own with a few key strategies:
  • Identify the pain in your organization and how you are uniquely suited to help calm that pain from your current position.
  • Build a business plan for a new role, department, or service you might lead.
  • Communicate with key players in your organization to let your intentions be known.
  • Take your efforts as seriously as you would a new job search.

It takes creativity, persistence, and confidence to create your own next step, “but if you’re truly hungry for advancement in a flat world, make it yourself.”

By Robin Madell

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Career Advice to Help You Make the Most of Spring Hiring Season

Spring-Cleaning[3]As spring continues to warm up, so do companies’ plans to hire. Check out new listings, and read these new career-advice articles to help you turn up the heat on your job search.

  1. Reframe the way you think about failure.

Next time you fail at something, remember it’s a stepping stone to success. Everyone fails sometimes, even the most successful people. “I think our resilience is dramatically improved when we trust that often out of the biggest heartbreaks come the best things in our lives.”

2. Job seekers can look forward to more perks and benefits, and maybe returning to former employers.

What’s in the cards for hiring in 2016? More perks and benefits, recruiting via social media and workplace flexibility.

3. Here’s how to power your job search with social media.

We’re sure you know that social is where it’s at for job searching, but you might not be taking advantage of all the tools out there to learn about companies, career arcs and trends. Get yourself up to speed with the latest tips and tricks.

4. Hey interviewees: If your question for the interviewer isn’t about the job or your performance of the job, don’t ask it.

In the interview, asking “How many sick days do I get?” will more than likely turn off the hiring manager—and that’s not all that can ruin your chances of that sweet potential gig. For a complete list of what to avoid asking come interview day.

5. Toss the to-do list, carry a notebook and make it home for dinner.

Ultra-successful people are different from you and me: They’ve got their daily routines and behaviors mastered. Learn from their secrets, and use them to power your job search, with this LinkedIn article.

6. Job search stalled? Get back in gear with this career advice.

The process of applying for jobs is, unfortunately, much more involved than just turning in applications. Learn fool-proof ways to maximize your chances of getting a job offer with help from a professional coach.

7. Here are the companies where millennials want to work.

Do you dream of getting an offer from Google, Netflix or Apple? You’re not alone: These are among the 10 companies at which workers ages 18 to 34 would love to land, according to YouGov.

8. Use keywords, keep your profile up to date and get ready for your video interview closeup.

Including keywords in your applications, keeping your socials current, being camera-ready for video interviews and looking for an inside connection: They’re all part of the latest techniques outline.

9. Hey, employers: Guess who’s to blame for that interview crashing and burning?

Interviewers who go through the motions and stick to a script instead of having a human conversation can scuttle what should be a key point of contact with a candidate.

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3 Reasons Why ‘Take Whatever Job You Can Get’ Is The Worst Advice Ever

0_0_0_0_146_146_csupload_66547857I still have warm memories of my college graduation. The weather was perfect, my cap stayed on my head and I managed to score a seat near my friends even though the graduating class was huge.

Then came the hammer from our commencement speaker, who told us that because the job market was so bad, we should all take whatever company would hire us. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to live with my parents forever, or maybe it’s because I’m susceptible to anyone speaking into a microphone, but I took that advice to heart and quickly ended up working at a place I didn’t like.

Sure, I made just enough money to move out on my own, but I quickly learned that “take what you can get” is really bad job advice. And because I’d hate for you to settle so fast, here are three reasons why I think you should wait for the right position, even when it feels like your search has taken forever, even when you hate your current position and even when you’ve been laid off.

  1. You’ll Rush Every Part Of The Job Search

Sometimes, things fall into place, and your dream gig will just land in your lap. But if you’re anything like me, your job search will take a little while. And that’s OK, which is hard to believe when everyone around you is resigned to the idea that you should just take whatever you can get. I fell into this trap, too. In fact, I fell so hard into this trap that I sped up my first search out of college and accepted a position of in the middle of an interview, didn’t negotiate salary and worst of all I left that day knowing I’d probably hate it.

What To Do Instead

Aside from taking a deep breath and thinking carefully about each offer you get, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions before you dive into your search. Maybe there’s an industry you want to break into, or maybe you’ll discover you still don’t know what you want to do with your life. The good news is that there are no wrong answers, but when you do figure out where you currently stand, you’ll be able to create a plan that’ll help you avoid applying for jobs that you might feel pressured to accept, even though you know you wouldn’t enjoy the work.

  1. You’ll Take Some Bad Advice Along The Way

There’s one universal truth about every single person you’ll ever meet: They all have an opinion on your choices. Some will offer good suggestions, and some will tell you that you jump into a career in finance even though you want to be a writer. It’s OK to listen to the advice people give you, but you should also listen to your gut. You know what’s best for you (at least, most of the time).

What To Do Instead

Here’s something I found to be helpful during my last hunt: Bring a notepad with you whenever you attend a networking event, job fair or even meet someone in your network for coffee and jot down whatever advice you want to consider later. When you get home, go back to the notepad and reevaluate the tips you received. You’ll find that some make sense, and some should be crossed out with the thickest Sharpie pen you have on your desk. Best of all, you’ll get in the habit of not acting on any bad advice you receive on the spot.

  1. You Could End Up Doing Something You Hate For A Long Time

I learned very early in my career that saying “at least I’m getting a paycheck” is an excellent sign that you should start looking for a new job. And yet, even though I was in a position I didn’t enjoy, I stayed for a few years. Why? Because I had moved out of my house to pursue a career I didn’t love, and suddenly I had bills to pay. And because schlepping all my things back to my parents’ house wasn’t an option, those responsibilities weren’t going away.

What To Do Instead

Whenever you’re offered a gig, graciously accept and ask for some time to consider the whole package. And in that time, don’t be afraid to run your list of pros and cons by people you trust (as long as they’re not the same people telling you to take what you can get). Often, even saying the things you’re thinking can shed a lot of light on whether or not you should accept it.

It’s tough not to listen to people who are telling you that no job offer is a bad job offer. After all, it comes from a good place. Those people are just trying to make sure you don’t starve, which is obviously a nice sentiment. However, just because the search might be tricky at times doesn’t mean you should feel obligated to jump at the first opportunity. You know what you’re looking for in your next (or even first) job, so trust yourself and don’t be afraid to wait for the right opportunity.

 

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Job Search in Your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s

e036361d5fffaf0d3a7e615af321e0f2[1]As you age, you will want to change the types of jobs you seek, the personal brand you introduce, even the way you present your resume.

Whether you are 22 or 62, a job search may be in your future. But the 20-something’s job search strategy should look very different than the 60-something’s — and so should everyone’s in between.

Especially in this economy, people of all ages are in the market for a new job. Some people are looking to improve their pay or title, some want to change their career paths and some have been involuntarily plunged into a job search due to downsizing. No matter what the catalyst, a job search should be carefully calculated and cultivated, with a great many factors taken into account. One of the most important, but often overlooked, is the impact the job seeker’s age can and should have on the process.

20s: Getting a Foot in the Door

Job seekers in their 20s are long on enthusiasm and education but short on experience. Family and financial responsibilities tend to be limited, so it’s a good time to take chances. It’s also a period during which you can take some time to figure out the ways in which your talents and skills can best be applied.

“Seek out positions where you can learn from others, but be a valuable resource through your fresh perspective, youthful exuberance and the fact you have minimal responsibilities to tie you down.

One of the biggest mistakes 20-somethings make is waiting to start their job search until after they have graduated from college. A job search should start once you have declared your major. This is when you should begin to build a professional network in the way of professional societies, relationships with key professors and with possible employment opportunities through internships.

In the end, there are few things that trump experience, and younger job searchers may have the luxury of being able to gain that experience by working for less or even no pay — at least for a while.

“Having your college degree is great, but experience gets your foot in the door. Do volunteer work within your field. Seek internships, paid or unpaid, if you have to.

30s: Shaping Up

In your 30s, you need to be thinking long-term. At this point, each job is shaping your career.

Think about the next job on your resume. Does it make sense in your career path? If it doesn’t, don’t make that move. Your resume tells a story.

You also may have started a family at this point, so benefits and the demands of the job — not just wages — will be more of a consideration.

Unlike your 20s experience is less important than demonstrating your skills, but there’s still room to take risks.

In your 30s, you’ve built up confidence in your skills and should look for roles that showcase your abilities and allow you to take some professional risks. At the same time, however, you’ll want to scrutinize your work/life balance since you probably have more personal responsibilities in your 30s. You may also want to consider the kind of work you’ll be doing and how your contributions will make a difference with the employer. The benchmark at this stage is to establish respect in your abilities and begin branding yourself as an expert.

40s: What Does Your Career Story Say?

In your 40s, you have laid a firm career foundation. Now is the time to think about your impact and legacy.

A key driver for a voluntary job search in your 40s is often the degree of job satisfaction and personal and professional recognition coming from your current position. For the 40s and beyond, I think you start looking for a job that has impact. By 40, you start defining yourself not just by who you are but also by what you do. This increases as you get older.

At this point in your career, you need to be able to show potential employers that you have effectively managed your career.

Look at the arc of your career over 20 years, and hopefully you see a forward progression of accomplishment and bigger roles. Companies have 20 years of data on you, so they will be looking at this arc, as well. You are getting more expensive; are you worth the cost?

At this point in your career you need to invest more in your job search tools — your resume, personal brand and interviewing skills — to ensure all tell the correct story of your career progression and demonstrate you are worth the price you request.

50s: Find Meaning

As many can attest, looking for a new job in your 50s is not easy.

Job seekers in their 50s may be seen as too expensive. Going for a lower-titled, lower-paying position may be seen as a way to get their foot in the door, but employers often hesitate to hire overqualified candidates for fear that their hearts won’t be in the job or that they will leave the company the minute something better comes along.

Even with these challenges, there are several strategies that can be used to counteract some of the bias against older workers. First and foremost, emphasize accomplishments and experience while de-emphasizing age. Leave the year you graduated from college off your resume and, unless relevant to the job you’re applying for, only show an employment history for the last 15 to 20 years.

For job seekers in their 50s, first-hand experience with age discrimination moves from potential and theoretical to real and immediate. The 50-something job seeker has a professional lifetime of experience to offer a potential employer. And, if circumstances allow, this is the time to be thinking about taking on a position that has real meaning.

Fifty-plus is a time when … what you do has to have meaning — not necessarily a big title but actual ‘meaning. [A new job] should be interesting enough so that you learn something and challenging enough so that it calls on all the skills and experience you’ve acquired. By this time, the rewards are more in the work than in the paycheck.

60s: Be Flexible

Baby boomers who thought they were going to retire at 59½ to 62 are now dealing with the aftermath of the collapse of their job security and the collapse of their retirement funds and are saying, ‘Now I have to work ’til 68 or maybe 70. “But employers aren’t interested in that.”

When it comes to 60-somethings, employers have fears related to potential length of service, technological obsolescence and skyrocketing insurance costs.

At this stage in your career you must use your personal brand to combat those perceptions, but be flexible to different working arrangements like consulting and part-time work. Career experts say job seekers in this age category should be proactive, emphasizing the experience and work ethic that come with age, while demonstrating the flexibility and hunger to succeed that are often attributed more to younger workers.

Speaking of flexibility, experts add that 60-somethings should have it in spades and should demonstrate their willingness to be flexible in their personal brand and resume. Consider consulting, part-time work or freelancing, as opposed to a traditional full-time, benefited position. Pursue consulting work now, and adding those titles and positions to your resume will help.

In your 60s, it’s a whole different ballgame. “This may be about part-time work more than full-time work. You’ve been there and done that.”

Experts added that it’s key for older job seekers to emphasize the experience, wisdom and dependability that (usually) come with age.

Companies value institutional knowledge and deep industry expertise. Do you have this? Use the gray-hair factor as a selling point.

Whether you are 22 or 62, a job search may be in your future. But the 20-something’s job search strategy should look very different than the 60-something’s — and so should everyone’s in between.

Especially in this economy, people of all ages are in the market for a new job. Some people are looking to improve their pay or title, some want to change their career paths and some have been involuntarily plunged into a job search due to downsizing. No matter what the catalyst, a job search should be carefully calculated and cultivated, with a great many factors taken into account. One of the most important, but often overlooked, is the impact the job seeker’s age can and should have on the process.

by- Debra Donston-Miller

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4 Reasons You’re Scared To Start The Job Search (And Why You’re Looking At Them All Wrong)

careers-advice-puzzle-shows-employment-guidance-advising-ass-showing-assistance-[1]I should’ve been job searching during my final semester of college. And I did—a little. But the whole process really intimidated me. I scanned the sites for openings and threw myself into the ring for a few random positions, but for the most part, I kept pretending it wasn’t on my to-do list.

And then I decided, “Well, I’m not sure what I want to do after college, so, I’ll go to grad school!” I applied to one school, got in and then—surprise, surprise—went through the same exact dilemma two years later when I graduated. Sure, I had three more letters after my name—Abby Wolfe, MPH, woohoo!—but, unfortunately, my grad school curriculum didn’t include “Job Searching 101.”

Don’t get me wrong. Grad school was great. I learned a lot and met a lot of awesome people. But the reason I chose to pursue my master’s degree was not. I was prolonging my entrance into the “real world” because I was good at being a student, but not good at being a graduate. After all, every other time I graduated in my life I just moved on to more schooling (and yes, I count kindergarten graduation).

Going through this at any point in your life can be scary for multiple reasons. But, alas, you can’t escape it. So instead of putting it off any longer, let’s look at your four biggest fears square in the eyes and face them together.

Fear #1: You’ll Have To Spend All Your Free Time Doing It

You’re right. This process can be quite time consuming. First, you need to sift through the many postings to find opportunities that actually fit you and your interests. Then, you have to dedicate time to putting together a solid application, which can include a resume, cover letter, references, writing samples and more. And then, if you get an interview, you have to spend time prepping. You get the picture—it’s not just one click of a button.

But here’s the good news—there are ways in which you can optimize your time spent searching. Block off specific times in your week to sit down and focus solely on this process. And when I say specific times, I don’t mean “I will work on this over the weekend.” Instead, I’m thinking more along the lines of “I will do this on Wednesday night from 7 to 9 p.m.” And then at 9 p.m., you’re done, you’re free.

Once you choose times, assign goals to each session. These could be along the lines of:

  • Find three positions to apply to
  • Write cover letter for X position at X company
  • Revise resume

Without designated times and specific goals, you’re likely to just keep prolonging the process. Because, admit it: If you just troll openings while you’re watching the latest episode of The Walking Dead, you’ll most likely get distracted by the creepy drone of the zombies. Additionally, you’ll probably spend many a minute scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Amazon.com—choose your poison, you know you have one.

 

Fear #2: You Aren’t Qualified For Anything

An open position grabs your attention and you get really excited. But when you get to the list of requirements at the end of the page, that excitement quickly fades. “I have to have how many years of experience? And be proficient in all of those systems?”

You’re not the only person’s who’s asked yourself, “How am I supposed to gain experience if I can’t fulfill the requirements to get a job in which I will gain experience?”

Some requirements are listed because they ‘sound good. Furthermore, when companies are writing these blurbs, they often tailor them to describe who their “dream applicant” would be.

But truthfully, Companies aren’t going to stall the hiring process until the dream applicant saunters in—solid, qualified applicants (like you!) get interviews, too. So, if there is a dumping ground of desired skills at the end of the description, see them as bonus skills and focus your application on all of the core skills you do have.

But keep in mind, while you’re probably more qualified than you give yourself credit for, you’re not right for everything. As long as you’ve ruled all the “definite nos” out and you aren’t applying to be, say, an orthopedic surgeon when you went to school for art therapy, apply away.

Fear #3: You Won’t Stand Out

It can be awfully daunting to apply for a job when you know the recruiter probably already has a mountain of resumes on his desk. And it can be really easy to start doubting yourself and your chances of getting picked out of that pile. But if you’re trying for a position you’re qualified for, you deserve just as much of a chance as the other faceless applications—and maybe even more.

But here’s the kicker—you’re not done once you hit “send.” It’s only just begun. If you want to stand out, you have to take action and go above and beyond. You should never hesitate to go the extra mile, show some initiative and share some other materials that a potential employer might care about. Go ahead and send them a link to your portfolio or personal blog. Anything that helps them to get a better sense of who you are as a candidate will benefit you!”

Going the extra mile doesn’t have to be fancy, though. In fact, it can be quite simple. One quick and easy way to be noticed is with an untraditional cover letter opening (i.e., saying something other than “Hi, I’m writing to express my interest in this position”).

“It’s always a treat when a candidate starts with a fun fact, a memorable anecdote or a clever line. By doing this, you immediately have my attention.” Take note, though: Your creative kickoff should relate to the position in question to some extent. Completely random tidbits are fun, but will leave the hiring manager feeling very confused: “I’m really happy that you’ve tasted every cheese in Wisconsin, but can you remind me how that makes you a good software engineer?”

There are many other ways to stand out, such as creating a portfolio of your work, thoroughly researching the company and connecting with individuals at the companies you’re applying to (and I mean more than just pressing “Connect” on LinkedIn).

 

Fear #4: You’ll Hate The Job You Get

When looking for a new gig (or your first one), there are bound to be many thoughts rushing through your mind. “But what if I hate it? What if I’m absolutely miserable? What if this isn’t even the right field for me?”

You’ll be spending a lot of time at work—if you aren’t happy there (for the most part) it’ll start to negatively affect your whole life. So you definitely don’t want to settle.

But before you let this fear make you turn around and run, consider the following:

Just as there’s no guarantee that you’ll love it, there’s also no guarantee that you’ll hate it. The only actual guarantee is that you have no idea how the future will pan out. (Unless you are a psychic—are you?) One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is: Don’t make something a problem before it’s actually a problem. Pursue jobs you believe are a great fit for you. If—if!—the one you end up with turns out to be the worst ever, you can deal with it then.

Nothing is permanent. (Well, most things aren’t.) If you end up absolutely loathing the company—guess what? You can start to look for something else. I know, going through the process again? But that’s the reality—you’re not signing your life away. With that being said, this doesn’t mean you should take just any position just because you know you can leave. That’s a recipe for disaster.

It’s normal to fear this process. But at the end of the day, it’s also an opportunity for you to start (or continue) shaping your future. Determine what’s holding you back from searching, then tackle that fear head on. Good luck!

Contributor-Mus

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