Remember that pop quiz in school – caught off guard, unprepared, panicky? Remember the feeling when even if you had studied, you had focused your time on all the wrong possible questions? Facing an unexpected layoff or separation of employment can create anxiety like that pop quiz on steroids – especially when you are caught with an out of date resume and a weak LinkedIn profile! Plan for the unexpected – keep your resume and LinkedIn profile current so you can hit the ground running in your job search. In the military, it is referred to as the PPPPPP Principle (Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance).

While thankfully, the US job cut total for July 2017 is the lowest monthly total since November 2016, it is always healthy to have an active draft of your resume on hand. Even if your draft is not “perfect”, updating your resume regularly gives you an opportunity to record accomplishments when facts are fresh and data is at your fingertips. Worse yet, trying to recall moments that illustrate your strengths, or times where you overcame adversity can be tough when you are reeling from an unexpected or even planned job departure.

Being prepared for any situation can help you weather unexpected news, or at the very least, boost your confidence and keep you poised to present yourself for new opportunities immediately. While you are at it, add the new updates to your LinkedIn profile and keep you public profile current.

Some tips to assist with keeping your resume and LinkedIn polished:

  1. Regularly record accomplishments and awards on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Your draft resume does not have to be pretty. Add bullet points with facts and stats to serve as a placeholder until you can revisit and rephrase the information.
  1. Update promotions, lateral moves and increased job responsibilities as they occur.
  1. Keep a log of your success stories – did you just pull together and deliver a successful, last minute presentation to executives? How about negotiating a significant deal with a customer or potential business partner? Jot down a few facts. Later, come back to revisit the skills these situations highlight.
  1. Capture mistakes, personal learnings and what you have changed because of those learnings.
  1. Keep a file of thank you emails and letters, awards, positive feedback, reviews, etc. that you can revisit later to either add to your resume, or mention in an interview.

By getting into the regimen of keeping your resume polished, you can face uncertainty or opportunity more confidently and quickly. Follow the “Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance” Principle!

To learn more about writing an effective resume, check out Talencio’s blog: Resumes That Win.

About Talencio: We help the Health Technology community make progress by putting the right people in the right place to solve problems and identify opportunities to move healthcare forward. To learn more about career opportunities in health technology, or to hear how other companies have partnered with Talencio to tap into our skilled professional talent pool, contact us at 612.703.4236 or email. Talencio has been the preferred provider of vetted, accomplished professionals to the Health Technology Community for over 9 years.

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