Hate your job? Exact steps to escape to a better position

Miserably employed? I know many people who are. I give them this advice:

1) Decide if your work situation is really that bad or if you are letting a fixable problem fester. Too often I see angry, upset people destroy their own employment, losing income and benefits. Instead, leave strategically.  

2) List what’s good and bad about your job and tally it up. Does the good outweigh the bad? Then stick with it and improve the situation. If the bad outweighs the good or if you feel you could lose your job soon …

3) Commit to a stealth, but highly active, job search that won’t jeopardize your current employment. During the workday, exude pleasant professionalism that gives no clue that you are job hunting.

4) Pursue a healthy passion outside of work, which could be anything you enjoy, to free your mind from job drama and negativity.

5) Complete an action plan to determine the job you want and how to land it.

6) Strengthen your skills and fix weaknesses by taking classes, watching videos, studying tutorials, etc. Improve interviewing / negotiating skills through WiserU.

7) Add new skills into your LinkedIn Skills and Expertise section related to the jobs that you want and retype them into your LinkedIn Summary. Endorse others’ skills and ask them to endorse your skills. Why do this? The more endorsed skills that you have and the more relevant keywords that appear in your Summary (in general), the higher up in search results you will show when recruiters seek candidates. Learn more. Also weave keywords into your job duties in your resume and LinkedIn. Example: Used Excel pivot tables to create budget spreadsheets. 

8) Update your resume to play up your current position and to align your resume with your LinkedIn profile. Ask WiserU to craft your resume.

9) Carefully let people know that you’re job seeking:

• Send select people LinkedIn InMail messages (which are free to connections), or send an email. Let them know in an upbeat way what job titles you seek and in which city. Include your resume, phone number and email address to make sending you job leads easy. Remind them monthly that you continue to seek a new position.
• Don’t tell coworkers you’re unhappy or job seeking. The news will spread and can be used against you.
• Don’t broadcast your job search on Facebook or other social media.
• Unfriend bosses and coworkers on Facebook and make your timeline private. (People aren’t notified that you unfriended them, but they may notice that they can no longer view your posts).
• Disconnect from bosses and coworkers on LinkedIn. People aren’t notified, but your name may show in their "People You May Know" section as a potential person to invite. If they do, simply click "Ignore".

10) Radically improve your LinkedIn profile. But first, change your settings to keep connections from knowing your activities. Go to “Me” and then “View profile”, scroll to Experience and click the blue pencil associated with your current job. Click the “Share with network” toggle switch to “off.”  Leave it off for at least 3 days, or simply keep it in the “off” position. Ask WiserU to optimize your profile.

11) Turn on Career Interests on LinkedIn by going to “Jobs”, then “Career Interests”. Complete the entire form to alert recruiters to your availability. If your current position is linked properly to its LinkedIn company page, LinkedIn will not alert your employer that you are stealth job hunting.

12) Join and participate in industry, field, and location-related LinkedIn groups to attract recruiters. You can join up to 100 (10 at a time until you get accepted into them). To find them, type your industry, field, or city into the “Search box”, click “Enter” and then “More”. Select “Groups”.  Click on a group and “Ask to join”.

13) Become a leader in your field by sharing articles and your knowledge on the LinkedIn home page and in group discussions. For example, if you are a fundraiser who has been involved in a capital campaign, share that knowledge in articles on your home page and on LinkedIn fundraising group discussion boards.

14) Use LinkedIn to reach recruiters who specialize in your industry / field / location to alert them of your availability and job interests. To do so, type “recruiter” in the search box and then click “Recruiter in people”. Click “All filters” to narrow your search by location, industry, etc. Learn more

15) Increase your networking and volunteering activities in field/industry-related local Meetup meetings or associations to meet hiring decision makers and influential people. Have business cards printed with your preferred job titles/functions and your contact information. Invite those you meet to connect, nurture the relationship on LinkedIn, and invite them to meet you for coffee.

16) Apply for jobs on LinkedIn by clicking the Jobs tab and following the prompts. LinkedIn will reveal who you know at hiring companies so that you can enlist their help and will often let you know who posted the position. Many LinkedIn jobs are “Easy Apply” openings, which lets you apply instantly using your LinkedIn profile, or by uploading your resume and cover letter as one document. This quick apply feature on LinkedIn (and other job sites) is a real time saver for miserably employed people. Just make sure that your LinkedIn profile is a strong match for open positions before you apply. 

17) Apply for jobs on several other sites, particularly sites that specialize in your industry, field, or city. Also apply on sites like Indeed that aggregate listings from several sites. Find links to many job sites.

18) Add the LinkedIn Jobs app to your smart phone so that you can immediately apply for job leads.

If you’re wearing the battle scars of a bad job, take decisive action. Doing so can help you land a better job on your terms. – Kathy

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Look to WiserU
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