How to be ready to apply for your next job before you need to look

How to be ready to apply for your next job before you need to lookHow to be ready to apply for your next job before you need to lookYoure just coming off that promotion youd been angling for, and feeling great about the bump in pay, added responsibilities, bigger gruppe, and the chance to make a deeper impact. Youre still settling into the new position, so the belastung thing on your mind is your next role after that. But maybe it should be.The point isnt to encourage paranoid, presumptuous, or premature actionits just to make it clear that there are risks tonotplanning at least one step ahead, no matter whatas Ive learned firsthand. A few years back, I was a rising star in a public company that was grooming me to succeed our chief people officer. I moved cross-country for a promotion that put me on the leadership career path I was excited about. My future at company was bright, so I focused single-mindedly on rising up the ranks there. That was my mistake.Two weeks into my new job, my company was acquired. After a year of regulatory review, I was eventually asked to move onto the internal communications team of the newly merged companynot exactly my dream job. The path Id laid out for myself was derailed in an instant. I left a week later, picking up the pieces of what had felt like such a sure thing so recently.The reality is that theres only so much you as an employee can control when it comes to your career path. Mergers, layoffs, consolidations, downsizing, pivots, reorganizationsthe average worker is at the mercy of all unterstellung contingencies, many of them hard to foresee. The best way to protect yourself is to plan ahead for the position youd like to reach next, even if you have no intention to go after it yet. Heres how.Cultivate your network - and the skill of networkingYoure probably tired of reading about the importance of building your network. Dont be, because its actuallythe most important skillyou can develop, particularly at the outset of your career. And itisa skill.We tend to think of networking as an activitysomething you do in order to build connections, with that pool of names and contact information being the real thing of value. But a knack fordeveloping relationships is more lasting and powerful still your contacts will change jobs, get fired, retire, and move industries, and your own career needs and goals will shift, too. So while the relative worth of a given set of connections will always vary, your ability to build and maintain connections wont.And you have no way of knowing when a certain contact youve made will swing a door wide open for you right when you need it.Some people are natural networkers, effortlessly working any room and instantly finding the right topic of conversation. Most people arent. Some would rather have a root canal than attend a networking event. But if youre in the latter camp, you can still flex your networking muscle while youarentjob-searching, so its ready to do some heavy-li fting when you least expect to need it.RelatedHow To Turn Your Crappy Network Into A Better OneTry thisPut a 15-minute weekly flgel of time in your schedule. Maybe its every Tuesday right after lunch, or the last 15 minutes of your day each Friday, when you cant really focus on your work tasks any longer but still have some time to spare. Use this period to research people in your field, look up past colleagues, alumni, thought leaders, and others in your industry or at companies that interest you. Connect with them on LinkedIn (just be sure you personalize the messagehere are a few tipsif youre not sure how), drop an email, or even just follow them on Twitter until youre ready to reach out. Make a little progress on this shortlist every week, and watch your network grow.Twitter is handy because it lets you create a private list of your network. Unlike LinkedIn, you dont need these networking prospects to accept your invitation to add them. Once youre connected via LinkedIn or Twitt er, like, retweet, and comment on their posts to get on their radar.Show your workBlogging is a great way to elevate your visibility and share your point of viewand it feels nothing like job-searching. LinkedIn lets you embed blog posts and articles directly onto your profile throughits publisher feature, in addition to the ones you can share in your feed.Mediumis another straightforward, well-known resource that lets you pick up blogging pretty much immediately. Whatever tool you use, sharing your perspective on your field and work is a great way to get on the radar and open your prospects long before you actually need them.Try thisDont worry if you arent the worlds most eloquent writer or fear that your point of view isntvery unique. Thats okay. Focus on sharinghowyou do what you do. Working out loud and sharing your work is an easy way to get the attention of people who might be in a position to hire you one day. Consider writing about tools you use, organizational methods youve learned, how you structure your day, productivity hacks, and so on. It might feel mundane to you, but youll be surprised how sharing your experience might help others and elevate your profile. (And if youre self-conscious about your writing style or grammar, tools likeGrammarlyandHemingwaycan help tighten your writing.)Do some digital housekeepingMost people dont update their LinkedIn profile until theyre looking for a job. But recruiters and managers are using LinkedIn constantly to look for new hires. So since youll be using LinkedIn to build your network anyway, youll want to give themprospective contacts and hiring managers alikean up-to-date view of your experience. Sometimes even just waiting to see which recruiters reach out about which opportunities can give you a feel for how youre viewed in your industry. Thats useful intel for planning ahead even if you arent ready to consider a move.RelatedRecruiters Explain What The Worst LinkedIn Profiles Have In CommonDigital housekee ping isnt just about LinkedIn, though, its aboutknowing what will show upwhen someone Googles your name. Check your privacy settings on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social networks you might useor even the ones youusedto use (since it might not occur to you that a recruiter will stumble on that 2012 Tumblr account you loaded up withcat memes).Try thisSchedule a one-hour appointment with yourself every one to three months topolish up your LinkedIn profile. Maybe youwont even need half that much timeto bring it up to speedin which case, great This can also help you track key accomplishments and projects youve been involved with that might be hard to remember if only only update your LinkedIn once a year. Plus, these milestones may come in handy during your performance review or while negotiating that promotion.If you approach preparing for a new job as something thats part of your regular routine, youll have a much better chance of keeping your career on the track you want. Youll never have absolute control over your companys future, but all it takes are a few good habits like these to keep you in the best possible position in case you find youre not longer in your employers plans.About the authorLars Schmidt is the founder ofAMPLIFY//, a recruiting and branding agency that helps companies like Hootsuite, NPR, and SpaceX reimagine the intersection of culture, talent, and brand. Hes also the cofounder of theHR Open Sourceinitiative.MoreMore from Fast CompanyRecruiters Explain What The Worst LinkedIn Profiles Have In CommonRecruiters Explain Which Types Of Messages They Actually Reply ToForget CodingHeres The Skill You Need Most When You abflug Your CareerThis story originally appeared on Fast Company.