Hack Your HR Job Search: Tips for Growth 🔧
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Last week, the Amplify Academy community gathered for a peer collaboration webinar to share experiences, tips, and advice for navigating the current job market for HR and people leaders. In the end, we had a share your best tips hackathon where attendees shared some of their top tips with the intent of open-sourcing them to the broader HR community.
Here’s a summary of their key tips to help you navigate your job search.
The economic turmoil of the last two years has taken an outsized toll on Human Resources, recruiting, talent, and people practitioners.
Navigating today’s job market is quite different than job searches of the past. This post is designed to help you optimize, examine, and rethink how you’re approaching your search.
It was curated from an open-source hackathon from members of the Amplify Academy community.
Leverage AI for Resume Writing 🤖
Struggling with that intimidating blank screen? Leverage AI, particularly ChatGPT, to break your writer’s block and optimize sections of your resume. It's a game-changer that can help spark those creative ideas and help you articulate your unique value proposition, especially in that critical first draft. You can also apply this approach to your LinkedIn headline, summary, and experience.
💡 Note: Don’t expect generative AI to write your final draft fully; it will give you ideas and frameworks to help you get unstuck.
Annual Career Reflection 📆
Each year, carve out some time to assess your career trajectory. Ask yourself what you love about your current role and what's not aligning. The introspection is worth the time and will set the stage for informed career decisions.
Build Your Digital Footprint 👣
The term “personal brand” can be offputting. No, you're not a brand. Replace that term with “digital footprint” and it makes much more sense (with 80% less cringe).
The digital world is your stage. Start small: engage on LinkedIn, participate in HR communities, comment, and connect. And don't just be a wallflower—create content that genuinely represents you, not what you think others expect.
Keep That Portfolio Ready 📁
Being in HR, you know the power of documented performance. Keep an internal portfolio updated with feedback, projects, achievements, metrics, and data you've impacted. Trust me; this portfolio will be your best friend during job switches or internal reviews.
Seek Feedback 🙏
When in doubt, reach out. Ask former colleagues and friends to share what they think you excel at. Their reflections can act as a mirror, especially during those less-than-stellar days of job searching.
Sometimes, that’s the boost we need to power through the inevitable low points that come with a job search.
Think Adjacent: Finding Parallel Careers 🗝️
Pondering a career switch? Dive into the tasks you enjoy that don't just feel like "work" and extract some keywords. Use these keywords in LinkedIn or Google job searches. You'll be surprised by the potential roles that align with what you enjoy doing.
Think about the things in your job that don’t bum you out, the things you’re actually excited about when you get a chance to do them. Use these as the basis for your search.
Pull some keywords from there and plug them into LinkedIn jobs or Google jobs (the latter is valuable as it isn’t biased towards your LinkedIn algorithm of jobs you’ve had or current topics you comment on).
See what jobs come up, see what’s interesting, what’s a hard no, and what you’re inspired to explore more.
You may find your ideal next play is in a different field altogether.
Personal Connections & Testimonials 🤝
Get on the phone or Zoom. Conduct informational interviews. Engage with recruiters or peers. Personal connections open doors, especially when you're venturing into an unfamiliar domain. And don't forget to compile your achievements and positive feedback into a portfolio.
Trust Your Instincts and Data 📊
Don't hesitate to say 'no' if a role doesn't feel right. Keep a Google Sheet updated with roles you're applying for, and their statuses. Data-driven insights coupled with your gut feeling can serve as your compass.
Be Committed To The Process 🌱
Job searching can be draining. It’s often full of rejection and setbacks that feel personal. I get that. Know you’re not alone. Do your best to tap into peer groups to find support, celebrate wins (even the small ones), and know that all job searches come to an end.
In searching for your next opportunity, don't forget to check in with yourself. It’s an emotional process. Allowing yourself to experience those feelings is an important part of it.
In the world of HR, we're used to guiding others' careers. Now, it's time to invest that expertise in ourselves.
Wishing any of you who are reading this all the best with your search!
Thanks and credit to Kim Rohrer and other Amplify Academy community members who contributed to this piece. Some are actively looking, so their names are omitted to preserve their confidentiality.
Thanks for reading! If you found this briefing helpful, I’d appreciate you sharing it with your network. See you next week! ✌🏼
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