July 7th, 2014. That was the day I quit my good job at a Fortune 10 Telecom. Most people would think I’m crazy. After all, I was paid extremely well, I had a cubicle with a window view, remote working privileges, company trips to NYC with hotel stays at The Hyatt at Grand Central Station, and a highly coveted position as a Sr. Marketing Consultant. By the way, did I mention I was only 28 years old? Related:5 Things To Consider Before Quitting Your Job So, why did I quit? I was never cut out for Corporate America. I don’t think anyone is. I’m led to believe this because as I walked the halls and attended meetings at every job I’ve ever had, I noticed that everyone was constantly beaten down. To make matters worse, the older a colleague of mine was the more beaten down they appeared. There were days when I would look at my colleagues, many of whom were almost twice my age, and I’d think to myself, “I can’t become them. I can’t live my life in misery.” In the cutthroat environment of Corporate America, you’re constantly put to the test, by colleagues, managers, and senior leaders. There’s constantly someone trying to stab you in the back, because the stakes are really high. No company pays as well or provides the perks of a big business, and for those reasons, your co-workers will do whatever it takes to keep their job and maybe even take yours. When I decided to quit my job, I spent a few weeks thinking about it and I spent a year and a half financially preparing for it. I always knew I was never truly cut out for the corporate world, and my experiences at my last job really proved that. I was an entrepreneur and always had been. Ever since I was 18 years old, I always had a side business in operation. From the ages of 18 – 24 I had a few business wins, but a lot more failures. When I was 22, I started a marketing consultancy that was one of my biggest successes in my business career to date, but the recession ruined me. In the matter of one month, all of my contracts were cancelled, as my clients were forced to cut secondary marketing expenses just to stay afloat. One week later, and two days before Thanksgiving, I packed up everything and was forced to move back home with my parents at the age of 24. I was embarrassed and felt like a total failure. Even worse, my girlfriend was a part of the business as well, so not only did I have to explain things to my parents, but I had to explain things to her parents as well. After my business collapsed, I decided to “do the right thing” and get a job, because after all, running a business was risky and I needed stability in my life, especially since I was planning on proposing soon to my girlfriend of (then) eight years. Once I moved back home, I got a job six weeks later. I landed a position at an oil company as a web content coordinator. A year and a half later, I was laid off one month before my wedding. I was devastated. Three weeks later, I got another job at a media company as a social media manager. Four months later, I was laid off again. Then, six months later, I got the job at the Fortune 10 Telecom, and a year and seven months later, I quit. It was the first real job I’d ever quit in my life. So, why am I telling you all of this? There’s a sobering reality that we all refuse to face - that life isn’t quite what we perceive it to be, especially in the context of our careers. We go through our jobs and our careers without an ounce of control, just waiting and hoping we’re not the next person on the chopping block. Rarely do we take back the reigns. I quit my good job because I wanted to take control of my destiny. The month I started my last job, I began writing a book: What Next? The Millennial’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Real World. I wrote that book to help Millennials understand the complex challenges of the real world as well as provide practical solutions to common problems. I covered everything from education to employment, to entrepreneurship and personal finance. After writing this book and receiving endorsements from people the likes of Barbara Corcoran of ABC’s Shark Tank and Andrew Warner of Mixergy.com, I sat on the book for almost a year. The full-time commitment of my high pressure, high stress corporate job didn’t leave much time or attention for me to push the book along. I reached a point in June in which I had to face the reality of my purpose and my destiny. I couldn’t run from it anymore. My purpose and my destiny was to tell my story and share my experiences through my book. I came to the realization that my job was preventing me from walking my path. So, just like that, I decided to quit my job. If you’ve ever felt like you were destined for something more substantial, look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what are you waiting for? I wouldn’t recommend everyone walk in my shoes and quit their job, but I would recommend that everyone evaluate their passion and devise a plan to determine how to fulfill their purpose. You only have one life to live. Are you living your life or someone else’s?
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
BigstockMake 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
BigstockAre 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.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
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
BigstockYour 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.