I Recently Started A New Job, And A Better Opportunity Popped Up. What Should I do?

iStockphoto.com | Nuthawut Somsuk

Life is unpredictable. We learn to adapt to uncertainty and unexpected changes. We can do that regularly because life's unpredictability typically leaves you with two distinct options, and you choose one of them. Sometimes, however, you are forced into a dilemma, the answer to which is not clear.

If you start a new job and receive an offer for another one shortly after, you face a moral and professional decision that may have a long-lasting impact on your career. There is no easy answer, and you are the only person who can decide whether or not it's the right move. Frequently job jumps on your resume can scare potential employers, who may fear that you’ll leave six months after hiring you. That said, personal circumstances are nuanced. Not every early exit is a liability.

To help navigate your personal circumstances, answer these simple YES/NO questions:

1.    Do you believe changing jobs will damage your career? If YES, you have a lot to think about. If NO, proceed.

2.    Is the second job offer truly better than the job you just started? This is the primary comparison most people are going to make. Assess the compensation packages and weigh any increases or additional benefits against the risk to your professional brand for "job-hopping." If there's parity, more discovery is needed to make an informed decision. If it's an offer that’s so good financially you think you’d be an idiot to refuse it, perform a risk/benefit analysis and proceed accordingly.

3.    Is it the job of a lifetime knocking on the door? Many components make a job a "dream job" for a particular person. For example, significant salary increases, significant promotion doing precisely what you want, better commute, on-site daycare, or medical benefits/care. That is why you do not automatically rule out the second job offer even if the compensation package is worse. People are willing to trade off certain things for their dream job. One thing on the above list may dictate an employee's decisions above all others, or perhaps the second job sets you on a path with more room for personal and professional development.

4.    Is your current job unpromising? Let’s say your new job was great on paper, but once you became part of the daily operations, you discovered that it was unsustainable. Job disasters exist, so this is a valid position to take. Sometimes, especially if the circumstances are extreme, it is better to move on as quickly as possible, but be prepared to answer the question, "Why?"

5.    Are you experiencing a significant life change? If you are experiencing a significant long-term life change (e.g., marriage, starting a family, caring for a sick loved one, being sick), you may have more flexibility to move jobs quickly without major repercussions. Certain life events are viewed with wider latitude than others. For example, a new parent may switch jobs because their current job requires a lot of travel. That's reasonable.

6.    Are you in a contract or consulting role? You can do what you want. Generally speaking, in the absence of a long-term contract, it's understood that consultants/contract workers will move on when current projects are complete or better opportunities arise.

7.    Does the second job fit in better with your strategic career plan? Any general advice offered regarding this dilemma does not consider your long-term professional goals, which only you know. The proposed job opportunity may be the missing piece of your career puzzle, and the switch will ultimately benefit you in ways you believe your current position will not.

8.    Are you a part-time worker searching for a full-time position? This is an obvious exception to the job-hopping rule. If you switch jobs because your current job, regardless of how long you've been in it, is part-time and the other job is full-time, nobody will dispute that calculation. 

9.    Are you moving? If you find yourself relocating to a new market, unless you’re working remotely  you will need to find a new job in your new community. 

10. Does the second job fit in better with your strategic career plan? Any general advice offered regarding this dilemma does not consider your long-term professional goals, which only you know. The second job may be the missing piece of your career puzzle, and the switch will ultimately benefit you in ways you believe your current position will not.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Building and Managing Your Personal and Professional Brand In The Job Market

iStockphoto.com | axel2001

All of us see a brand in crisis mode after some colossal tone-deaf, reputation-damaging blunder and ask, "What were they thinking?" However, few of us imagine a hiring manager or recruiter checking out our brand and asking the same question. They are, and, yes, you are a brand.

Personal and professional branding rapidly evolved when the line dividing the virtual and real worlds vanished. Now, there is no difference between the two. Online, you are a single brand that is a combination of your personal and professional life. It is essential to have an authentic, concise, and well-defined brand that permeates through traditional professional tools, like your resume, and new media channels, like social media. If that sounds like a lot of work, it is, but it empowers you to establish how the world sees you. You get to control your narrative! Give that power away at your peril.

Step One: Create Your Brand

Before you can manage your brand, you must create it. What is a brand? A brand is your story, your work history, your achievements inside and outside the office, your charitable works, and how you spend your time rolled into one memorable mega-pitch. Your brand is how you want others to see you. It’s like meeting someone on a dating app, in that if you meet someone you better look like your photos when you arrive for a first date, or it will be a disaster from the get-go. The same rules apply.

Your personal story is unlike any story since the beginning of time. Like you, it is 100% unique. Before the advent of the internet, your personal brand was called your personality, and, for the most part, the people privileged enough to know the "full you" were limited to family and friends who were allowed to flip through your scrapbook if you had one. Now, online, people post everything they think and do for the world to see – and judge. You may be one of them. If you are, managing your brand is even more vital.

The other half of your brand is your professional life. You want employers and other contacts to know your expertise, how you apply it, and how you are different than other people with similar qualifications. In essence, you want to build a brand that is a demonstrable combination of personal story, work history, talent, and education. It should be authentic, and reflect the full tapestry of who you are why you do what you do. That is an effective brand.

Step Two: Manage Your Brand in the Job Market

Once you determine your brand, you don't want to commit some colossal reputation-damaging blunder. Just like a business, you should be mindful of staying "on-brand" across your online profiles and in your professional realm. 

Managing your brand is ongoing but pays the most dividends when you're searching for new opportunities. To effectively promote your brand in the job market, start with a top to bottom review of your professional tools and online presence. You want prospective employers and recruiters to get a full and clear picture of who you are.

Here are some areas that can be an asset or liability to your brand (it’s up to you):

• Work history. You can't argue with success. If you have a strong work history with a track record of success,  your resume and LinkedIn profile should ooze those achievements and tell the story that is your brand. Create a strong and lasting first impression.

•  Professional references. Whether a reference on a job application or a reference on your LinkedIn profile, professional references can sometimes be the difference between you and another candidate. However, references can be a double-edged sword. Make sure you know what your references will say about you before you direct people to them!

•  Your public behavior at meetings and conferences. When you represent your company outside the office, your conduct should have the highest standards. It won't matter how groundbreaking and well-received your presentation was if everyone remembers you as the person who passed out in an elevator wearing a lampshade.

•  Social media. More than anywhere else, think twice about what you say on social media. While social media can bolster one's brand, it has many pitfalls. It's now a cliché to lose your job, or business, because of something you posted on Facebook or some other social media platform. A general rule for social media: If you don't want it to come up during a job interview or performance review, don't post it.

•  Interpersonal relationships. "Your network is your net worth," is an old saying. Nurture your business relationships. Don't take anyone or anyone's business for granted.

•  Favors. If someone does a professional favor for you, respond in kind.  People will stick their necks out for you if they know you will reciprocate.

•  Background checks. Your brand should be honest and authentic. If it's not any falsehoods, a background check will discover any inconsistencies.

•  Reputation as a co-worker. If you treat people with kindness and respect, that will be part of your brand. If you are impossible to work with, that will be part of your brand. Your reputation is word-of-mouth, which can't be controlled like an Instagram feed.

•  Achievements. If you can demonstrate the value you've brought to your current or past positions, that says a lot about who you are. Metrics help your overall brand's value and credibility.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

How Do I Handle The COVID-19 Gap On My Resume And LinkedIn Profile?

iStockphoto.com | pooiekoo

Since last March, COVID-19 has had an incredible impact on the economy, and as a result, many peoples’ careers. Americans lost an estimated 22 million jobs. Whole sectors of the economy shut down. For those with children, there was the additional burden of virtual school and lost childcare. Many contracted the virus or had to take care of someone who did. People moved out of the cities and from state to state. If you were out of work, how should you deal with "the Covid gap" on your resume and LinkedIn profile?

• The COVID downturn is unlike any other economic downturn. How you describe your experience on your resume and LinkedIn profile is essential. Still, whatever your circumstances, due to the overriding impact of COVID, what you did will be viewed with a much higher degree of empathy than during a general layoff.

• Account for the time straightforwardly and honestly in the cover letter. If there was a gap, there is no reason to dwell on it, but it is acceptable in this case to point out how you spent the time.

• Use the gap as an opportunity to highlight how you manage adversity. If you were a full-time parent in charge of virtual school, put that down. If you took care of someone with COVID, put that down. If you volunteered, put that down. Whatever you've done in the last 15 months was your job. Pat yourself on the back and sing your praises.

• Be concise and action-oriented. Use metrics where you can. For example, if you were a half-teacher, estimate the number of hours per week and list the platforms you have to master (Google Classroom, anyone?). When you start to think of your time in those ways, you will discover you accomplished a great deal more than you thought. Now is the time to give yourself the credit you deserve.

• Beyond the unemployed, COVID has changed the way people see their jobs and futures. Whether working remote or in an "essential job," an unpredictable tectonic shift has rumbled through the American workforce if the gap has convinced you to move your professional life in a new direction, detail anything and everything you've done to advance it. 

• It is common for people to have reasonable gaps in their professional lives and note those experiences on resumes and LinkedIn profiles. There is nothing out of the ordinary about it. Please keep it simple and follow the general guidelines for explaining a gap in a resume.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.