Published: June 5, 2023 

5 Tips to Take Charge of Your Future Today 

As you think about searching for your next job, what are some things you can do to help yourself in preparing for your next role and improve your job search?   

Build a Professional Portfolio.  List all you work experience, skills, interests, activities, clubs, organizations, groups, community organizations.  Create a master application.  Create a resume.  Create a reference sheet.  Get letters of recommendation.  Collect evaluations, writing samples, presentations, and awards. 

Practice Professional Etiquette.  Use a professional greeting for your phone and correspondence.  Use you cell phone to your benefit by managing your contacts, not answering when someone calls that’s not in your contacts list, relying on voicemail and text messages to keep track of calls, return the missed calls when you have uninterrupted time and a strong signal and something to write with, manage your texting so that you know who you are communicating with and limit the short-hand notations for those who expect “long-hand” messages, lock down your social media accounts and limit access, keep track of your audience when sending email messages and limit using “reply-all”, and consider your attire when going to the store or away from your home as you don’t know who you might meet on your travels. 

Dress for Success.  When you dress for the job you really want you will be improving your chances of communicating to future employers and connections in your network that you are serious about your career.  Consider a conservative attire to reach your contacts. 

Learn About Yourself.  Go to www.onetonline.org and complete the interest profiler survey to learn about your job interests, go to the summary page of the jobs you worked in previously by typing the job title in the keyword search and reviewing the skills and abilities that you developed while in those roles, and also look up the skills and abilities for the jobs you are applying for so you can be confident that you have the qualifications to do the job. 

Volunteer to Get Experience.  You can find volunteer opportunities at www.volunteermatch.org whether you are currently working or in between jobs and find positions that you can learn about new skills, leadership abilities, and meet new people that you can bring into your network.  If your current paid position does not offer you the opportunity to gain experience, learn new skills, and get experience in leadership roles, you can find volunteer jobs where this can happen 

You can visit the CareerSource Capital Region website calendar page to find and then register for the next Take Charge of Your Future Today workshop where you can learn more about these guidelines and tips to prepare you for your next employment.