It’s a New Year and you may be preparing for a new job/job search. What do you need to be successful? For seasoned employees, perhaps you have a game plan that’s worked in the past, for new grads and those newer to the workforce you may be researching the foundational aspects of the job search. The catch is, however, new year may mean new job market which may mean new approaches.

An article in The Suburban explains the importance of fully preparing for your job search, beyond an updated resume and cover letter. Points made that are particularly relevant for those job seeking while managing a cancer diagnosis have been highlighted below.

• Clean up your digital footprint. While this may not have been as much of a concern 10 years ago, the internet has become such a critical aspect of professional presence. This makes it imperative to ensure you’re aware of your digital footprint. CAC has long touted the importance of awareness of online activity and history. If you’re interested in learning more on how to protect your information and best present yourself online, be sure to check out our website section on Your Online Footprint with useful articles and tools.
• Start speaking in numbers. While most job seekers tend to focus primarily on their skillset and who they are, it’s incredibly important to also understand how to quantify their experience. Updating your resume with accomplishments is a great way to showcase your talent and skills with something solid to back it up. Take a look at our one-sheet that outlines best practices for integrating actual examples into your resume.
• Refresh your LinkedIn. Today LinkedIn is integral to job searching. This means that it may be the one chance you have to present yourself to a hiring manager outside of your resume and cover letter. Some notable suggestions include making sure you have a headshot and banner. It’s noted in the article that LinkedIn profiles receive 14x more views than those without one – making it a pretty clear the importance of having a photo. Additionally, LinkedIn has been cited as the number one tool for vetting candidates, so with that said, using it to the best of your ability will improve your chances for getting hired. If you’d like some guidance on making your LinkedIn stand out, check out Cancer and Careers’ Guide to LinkedIn. It may also be helpful to watch our recorded webinar on First Impressions: Resumes and LinkedIn. 

All of this to say, while there are some long-standing approaches to the job search that are important, it’s equally critical that you are willing and able to adapt to the current climate of the job market, to ensure you’re able to stand out among the many other job seekers out there. With fewer companies hiring at the moment, preparing yourself for an effective job search can be crucial to getting interviews and ideally a new role. 

Cancer and Careers is happy to provide additional resources, information, or scheduling a call to brainstorm and prepare together. Feel free to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org to set up time for a conversation!