Are You Prepared to Be a Job Seeker? Is it only a matter of time before it's your turn to face redundancy or a contract termination???
Corporate redundancies and IT contract terminations are becoming increasingly common.
The notion of jobs for life is now a distant memory from our parents' and grandparents' era.
Just this week, I've seen over 20 colleagues and friends caught by surprise by redundancies or sudden contract terminations.
One of my IT contracting friends was promised a six-month-plus extension and was then blindsided by a termination. All he got was a 'sorry.'
In another case, 10 of my ex-colleagues, all senior managers, were blindsided by a corporate restructure. Their roles were made redundant, with some having been with the company for over 10 years, and some for more than 20. They were (and still are) shellshocked!
A sudden job loss is a significant shock to your system. In a good market, it can take 6-12 weeks to secure a new job. In today's market, some have been unemployed for more than 12 months.
My advice is to proactively get ready for job disruption now.
It's going to happen to you at some point in the future, so start preparing before it becomes a shock.
Here’s a list of things you can do to avoid disruption:
✅ Sharpen your soft skills, especially your sales and networking skills. Work on overcoming the fear of reaching out to make things happen. If you don't make things happen, they won't.
✅ Keep your resume up to date and looking good.
✅ Ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and makes a positive first impression. A professional head-and-shoulders shot with a smile, an eye-catching banner background, a punchy and to-the-point headline, and a complete bio and career history are essential.
✅ Stay in contact with your connections. There are opportunities all around you, and maintaining your network will help you find them.
✅ Make time for coffee chats with colleagues.
✅ Practice your interview technique by attending at least one interview per month.
✅ Keep in contact with recruiters to improve your visibility for new opportunities.
✅ All of these strategies will keep you job search ready.
Another advantage of staying job search ready is you're less likely to miss out on your Unicorn job – your perfect job – and you can always refer a friend in need if the opportunity isn't right for you!
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