25 Ways to Maintain Your Career (So Your Next Job Search is A LOT Easier)
Career maintenance. It’s not SEXY.
But like brushing your teeth and eating your vegetables, it’s kind of the baseline for a lot of good things.
One of the reasons that the job search can be so stressful, and one of the reasons we created the Career Collective, is that so many people aren’t MAINTAINING relationships, their resume or their LinkedIn profile or their careers unless they are actively job searching.
When they’re finally ready for new opportunities, they have a LOT of work to do.
So I came up with an epic list of 25 things that you can do to maintain your career.
You can pick and choose, pair them up, find something you can do this week.
Do this kind of work twice a year and your next job search will be a lot easier.
Do this kind of work quarterly or (gasp!) monthly – and I wouldn’t be surprised if the offers came to YOU.
A couple of hours, a few times a year (that’s like one day a YEAR!) could radically change your career for good.
Sure, it’s not sexy.
But it’s effective and it’s transformational.
Make sure your resume is up to date – and reflects your current achievements and responsibilities
Make sure your LinkedIn is up to date – and reflects your current achievements and responsibilities
Write a LinkedIn recommendation for a co-worker or former co-worker
Attend a (virtual, for now!) networking event in your field
Send a check-in email to a potential reference
Take a scroll through some job postings in your field and see if anything resonates or excites
Commit to deepening your communication skills in the workplace
Offer support or insight to someone new to your field or a recent graduate
Make an attempt to reconnect with a former co-worker you’ve lost touch with (Career Collective members: check out our Work Words Library for access to our pre-written templates!)
Check-in with recent hires to see if they need any support (even if they aren’t your direct reports!)
Share your recent work in a LinkedIn post
Respond to some reflection prompts to check in with yourself and assess your current role
Brag on your friends or colleagues in a LinkedIn post
Take on an interesting freelance project
Volunteer
Participate in a skill share with your team or colleagues
Find a community or group of professionals to learn and grow with
Join an industry based professional development group to stay on top of trends in your field
Reach out to a stranger with relevant interests for a coffee chat
Practice customizing your resume for a specific job – so that when the time comes, you have the skills to put your most relevant experience forward.
Provide encouragement and accountability to a friend or colleague in a career change
Read an inspiring biography
Attend a virtual conference or event to meet new people
Follow up with those new people with a customized message on LinkedIn
Tag or share relevant opportunities and information with your network of friends and colleagues
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts & feedback. Connect with us on Instagram, here.