Summer means vacation and fun for many southern California job seekers. While taking a well-deserved rest in the beautiful weather isn’t a bad idea, the relatively laid-back attitude of summer gives you an opportunity to supercharge your job search at a time when others are taking a break from theirs. By charging into the gap, you gain an advantage that fellow job seekers might miss.
How can you improve your summer job search? Try these four strategies:
Reconnect with your network. Take advantage of summertime opportunities to reconnect with members of your personal and professional networks. Think broadly: in addition to your colleagues and your friends, reach out to neighbors, former classmates and professors, members of your social clubs or sports teams, and other people you know. Consider holding an open house, a barbecue, or another event that will give you the chance to reconnect with people you haven’t seen for a while in a fun setting.
Update your resume. Every resume needs to be updated from time to time, and the start of summer is a good time to see to this task. Add new information and edit your resume for spelling, grammar, and consistency in tone and layout.
To supercharge your resume, focus on describing your accomplishments, rather than your duties. For each position you list, think about what you achieved, not merely what you were assigned to do. By discussing your accomplishments, you relay information about your daily tasks – but you also demonstrate how proficiently you achieved them.
Explore the virtual world. Summer is a good time to expand your job search into the virtual world. Create or update your profile on LinkedIn, and join conversations on the site that focus on your industry, on topics in your area of professional interest, or on companies that you’d like to work for. You’ll build knowledge and make connections while also demonstrating your ongoing commitment to learning and growing in your field.
Talk to a recruiter. Staffing firms specialize in connecting job seeking professionals with companies that offer them career growth and a good cultural fit. Summer is a great time to connect with a local recruiting firm and gain a professional ally with connections in your field and a commitment to matching job seekers and good employers.
At Marquee Staffing, our experienced recruiters can help you supercharge your summer job search in order to take the next step on your chosen career path. Contact us today to learn more.
