The job market right now is no joke. Hiring freezes, layoffs, and ‘quiet firing’ are all in the news right now. And honestly, you can never be too prepared anymore.
Jermaine L. Murray, aka the Jobfather, (@JermaineJupiter) is a career coach and technical recruiter who recently shared a career hack that’s going viral on LinkedIn. It’s been liked over 4,000 times, and his advice is simple: Apply to a new job every six months.
It’s a piece of advice that he says is for everyone, even if you’re loving your job. He says that there are four reasons why he gives this advice, and they might just be the motivation you need to put in your own application.
“It empowers the employee,” Murray told Buzzfeed via email. “Applying every six months allows you to have a consistent view of your options on the open market.” Knowing what you’re worth on the job market and what hiring trends look like in your industry are never bad things.
Advice for Job Searching: Hit the my favourite sites: Linkedin, AngelList, Careerbuilder, Monster, JupiterHR. And the local / industry sites (I got you in a future post) In that order
“Many people think that applying and interviewing mean committing to leaving your job, but that's far from the truth. Interviewing when you're not looking to go is the best time to interview,” he said. And it makes sense — you’re able to be picky if you don’t need new work to pay the bills. Interviewing when you already have a job can also give you the confidence to negotiate. “You can ask for things you're curious about but would never want to risk for a desperately needed job. Ask for salaries that make you uncomfortable and for all the benefits you can think of.” Not a bad idea at all.
Murray emphasizes that applying for jobs before you need them is a good idea for uncertain times. Like right now, when there’s talk of a recession and layoff news all over our LinkedIn feeds. “If you're unfortunate enough to experience a layoff, you'll already be well into a job search,” Murray said. Prepare for the worst; hope for the best — right?
In your career always take a long-term view and think about what opportunities are going to look like in 3 months. 6 months. 12 months. 5 years etc. Always think about the future and invest in your skills and personal development. Be a forward thinker.
And lastly, he says it can help you boost your income. “Statistics show that job hopping is the best way to increase your salary. You have a ton more leverage going into these conversations as a new hire versus an internal one.” And boosting your salary can’t hurt — it might become your new baseline to negotiate the job after that one.
It's a simple piece of advice that could make a huge difference later. Even if you don't take the job, you'll have a better idea of what's out there, have a refreshed résumé if the worst happens, and know your worth.
Before you sit down to apply for a job or make a custom resume to a posting. Ask yourself. "How will I improve this work environment. How will I make the lives of this team easier? What can I do" Answer that and then write your resume around that answer. Focus and perspective.