The one thing you can count on in business is nothing ever stays the same. That goes for the boss, too.
Bosses come and they go even when your job remains in place. In some businesses, they come and go so fast they feel like a hit and run. While it would be nice to have some stability, it’s not something you can count on. Moreover, you can actually use it for boosting your career.
You can look at the boss turn-over as a career growth opportunity.
A new boss is a time when the board is wiped clean and a new working relationship has yet to be developed. If your previous relationship was rocky or you performed some career limiting moves, this gives you an opportunity to recreate who you are to that new person. Even if the new boss is someone you already know, you are both new in this relationship and you have a chance to rethink how things will go. The key is to “think” about your next actions.
Here are some smart career moves when you get a new boss:
1. Educate Them On What You Do
This is like the reverse of learning a new job. You can’t assume the new boss knows the details of who does what. They have a learning curve, so make sure you help them understand your job. Among the things you can share are your primary deliverables, results, current performance, what you are working on and are slated to work on soon.
2. Don’t Compare Them To The Previous Boss
They will resent the comparison. They will also more than likely want to do things differently than how it was done. Even if the previous boss was a felon, don’t pass on bad gossip to the new one. The assumption is if you freely share your opinion of that person, you will do it to the new one as well. It doesn’t win points.
3. Time Your Requests And Decision Making
If you hit up a new boss for things like time off, vacations, raises or even process decisions you will come off as unsaavy. Obviously, if there is a big decision that affects the business, you shouldn’t hold off. Be prepared with a recommendation for a decision, your rationale and any critical timing. Aside from that, allow the learning curve to take place and bring these topics to them in small doses.
4. Time To Shine
If you were doing less than stellar under the previous boss, now is the time to hit the “reset” button on your performance. If you can make strides in the areas of improvement now that you are with a new boss, the new boss will trust their own observations of you more than anything passed on to them.
If you need to get a mentor to help you understand what you should be doing, now is the time to get that person lined up. It doesn’t have to be public knowledge that you have a mentor. A mentor can help your career whether it is how to navigate the political landscape or how to improve your performance.
5. Learn Your New Boss
Some people think the new boss will yearn to hear all of their pent-up improvement suggestions. Like all people, they will only want advice if they ask for it. Learn how your new boss likes to learn and take in new information. How do they want to run the department? Loads of details or only the top level information? Again, you can’t make assumptions about the new boss based on any of your history. Ask them questions about what they will want to know from you and then deliver.
6. Be Ready For Change
Even when a peer ascends to the throne, things will change. Every boss will tweak things, sometimes making huge changes and other times only minor. Your willingness to actively embrace those changes can mean the difference between a successful working relationship and career or being advised perhaps you’d fit better in another group.
Just like starting fresh with a new job, a new boss can be a time to start over again and create real career momentum for you. You don’t have to hang on to your old stories. You can rewrite your career each and every time a new boss comes along.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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