Four Things to Do While You're Looking For a New Job

You’ve made the decision to look for a new job and are excited about the new challenges and opportunities ahead. However, before you get ahead of yourself you still need to think about your current situation.

Take care of business in your current position and you will set yourself up for more success when the next opportunity comes along.

Make it a priority to focus on the following four things while you’re looking for a new job.

Do great work. It can be easy to get distracted from your current responsibilities while you’re caught up in the effort to change jobs but it is important to stay focused on finishing strong at your current place of employment. Don’t change your strong work habits and commitment to doing great work simply because you are looking for a new job.

Get some recommendations. Now is a good time to ask your supervisor and even some colleagues to write a recommendation for you on LinkedIn. If you apply for a job through LinkedIn, these recommendations can assist a prospective employer in identifying the qualities and skills you can bring to a position.

Solidify your network. Reconnect with former coworkers and managers during your job search. Some of these connections might make good references, while others might offer job leads. However, don’t just contact former colleagues in order to gain some immediate benefit for you. Think about how you can be of service to them, as well, and also use this time to develop a plan to stay in regular contact with your former colleagues and soon-to-be former coworkers.

Start some good habits. Think about some new habits that would benefit your life and career and begin to implement them now. You might find it more difficult to do this once you’re faced with the demands of a new job. Do you need to get better sleep, or drink less coffee or alcohol, exercise regularly, or start a meditation practice? Make the effort to change your habits now and you’ll reap the benefits when you start your new job.

3 Steps to Effectively (and Quickly) Write a LinkedIn Recommendation

If you have a profile on LinkedIn (and you should) and you actively work to connect with others then you have likely been asked to write a recommendation for a friend or colleague.

Many people get these requests and have some difficulty knowing where to start or how best to write a recommendation. Here are a few simple tips for writing a quick (yet effective) LinkedIn recommendation.

1. Define your relationship. Include information about how you know the person you are
recommending. For example, "I hired Mike five years ago at XYZ company."

2. Focus on a specific trait or two. You might note that Mike excelled at sales and built strong relationships with his colleagues and customers.

3. Close with a clear recommendation. After you've defined the relationship and highlighted a positive skill or trait be sure to end by recommending the person, i.e., "Mike would be an asset to any sales team and I highly recommend him."

5 Tips to Leave Your Job on a Positive Note

Very few of us stay in one job during our entire working lives so we will likely go through the experience of changing jobs.

It can be important to your future career to ensure that you leave your current employer on good terms.

Here are 5 tips to leave your job on a positive note.

1. Give proper notice. Some companies require giving a two week notice when leaving a

job. Be sure to follow your company's requirement here and provide the appropriate notice when leaving your job. You don't want to quit suddenly and leave your employer in a difficult position. Your employer will be less likely to recommend you to a future employer.

2. Get a recommendation. While you are still employed ask your direct manager or someone else familiar with your performance to write a letter of recommendation for you. Do this while your skills and abilities are still clear in the mind of your manager.

3. Connect on LinkedIn. Make your LinkedIn connections with coworkers and managers before you leave the company.

4. Remove personal files. If you have a company provided laptop or computer be sure to remove any personal files on it. You don't want someone else reading about your personal life or seeing how many times you updated your resume while at work. The same goes for any paper copies of personal items.

5. Provide contact info. Be sure to let co-workers, managers, and customers know how they can reach you in the future.

Leaving a job positively can support future job opportunities and can pave the way for you to return to a company at a later time.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Most Important Career Decision You'll Make

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

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• The Most Important Career Decision You'll Make: "If you're at a career crossroads and considering whether to leave your job this year, your fulfillment rests on one decision."


• 4 Ways to Break Free from Being "Too Busy": "Make sure to not only carve out time for yourself, but to actually acknowledge that you’re on the “leisure clock.” Don’t multitask—enjoy the downtime."


• Career Advice for My Younger Self: "Recruiters get hundreds of applications from candidates with similar qualifications and experience. It's important to produce something a bit different to get noticed."


• 7 Resume Strategies for the Long-Term Unemployed: "Either in your resume or on your cover letter, address the fact that you've had a large employment gap and give it some context."


• 8 Ways to Stand Out on LinkedIn: "If you have good recommendations and other candidates they’ve found do not have any recommendations, who do you think they’ll call for an interview?"