Are you a Foul Weather Job Seeker?

There you are, cruising along in the career of your choice. Perhaps you love it. Perhaps you don’t. When tragedy strikes however, in the form of layoffs, downsizing or being let go, you want to be prepared. Don’t scramble around, wasting precious time in the eleventh hour getting your job seeking strategy together. That’s a little like closing the barn door after the horses fled the building! Instead of wearing blinders or rose colored glasses, why not view your career life a little more realistically? Things happen when you least expect them. So, what can you do to make sure that little bump on your career path doesn’t put you completely in the ditch? Here are a couple of things you can do now to save yourself time and frustration later: Update your resume

Take a look. Have you updated it with your last position? What about your most recent accomplishments and education? This isn’t the time to be modest. Make that resume stand out with the important details that make you worth hiring.
Is your address, email and phone number correct? Employers can’t reach you if the contact information is incorrect.
Verbiage counts also. Is your resume alive with verbs and accomplishments? Or does it just list your duties? Recruiters want candidates that get the job done. Make sure your resume reflects what it is you can do, not just a laundry list of tasks.

Update your LinkedIn Profile

More and more employers are utilizing social media to get talent, and LinkedIn is the ring leader when it comes to connecting job seeker and employer.
A few key elements include having a recent PROFESSIONAL photo (keep kids, pets and alcohol out please), updated contact information along with a eye catching summary, positions you’ve held, your education and those all important accomplishments.
Watch out for typos, grammatical issues but content is king. Recruiters are looking at hundreds of profiles. Make yours stand out with an interesting, catchy headline, and the right keywords. Don’t get passed up for not being searchable or worse yet, boring.
And speaking of recruiters? Make sure you are connected to the right influencers in your field and join some LinkedIn groups. Networking with social media is a powerful tool!

Found yourself without an updated resume or profile? Have questions and need help? Reach out and we can work together to build you a strong foundation for when the need arises. Just call me your “rainy day” back up plan.

Krista Morris

Krista Morris is the founder of Virtuoso Resumes and a two-time TORI Award winner who has helped more than 3,000 professionals land jobs faster with strategic, high-impact resumes. Known for bold storytelling and interview-based information gathering, she blends recruiting insight with clear positioning to turn complex careers into compelling brands. Before launching Virtuoso, she spent nearly a decade in workforce development with the State of Arizona and Maximus, helping job seekers move from unemployed to unstoppable. Today, her four-writer team serves clients across the United States and supports career transitions at every level.