Polishing My Resume In Case

Around the end of the year last year, one of the things I decided that I would and should do is spend time doing something I don't want to do, but probably should do just in case: polish up my resume!

Changing jobs sucks, it's not an easy thing but at the same time it is less of a hassle when we are prepared to do it versus unprepared. I am not the best at some things but one of the things I am trying to improve upon is being prepared! If there is one thing that the last few years has taught me.. it's that when you are not prepared for something, you tend to allow shit to happen and that's not good.

I enjoy the team that I work with, at almost every level. Yeah there are certainly annoying people, as there are everywhere but overall I work with a really good group of people. I'm not just trying to bullshit you and cope for what I am trying to justify so that I don't get pissed at myself lol but I do work with a great group of people.

I don't want to disillusion myself though and think that it will last forever and that nobody is going to leave or things won't happen. That is a fact of life - these things happen! I am trying to work with these people, my friends at work, as long as I can but at the same time, one of the most important things that we can do personally and professionally is to be prepared for situations that arise.

I want to think that my job is in a pretty secure state - I produce good work, I'm good at what I do and I'm pretty technical when it comes to the things that I work with. I have a lot of people that I work with that are not as well-rounded as I think I am. This isn't to boast or call the people I work with lesser people, they are amazing and great at the various things they do. I just know that I have some different skills than they do and those skills are important for the team but they are not impossible to replace. Difficult, but not impossible.

There is such a rapid change of the job environment that is occurring and I know that it's pretty standard to be able to accept and adapt to change - I am doing a pretty good job at it, at least I would hope. I think one of the important ways that I am able to do that honestly is having a platform like Hive to get really cutting edge information and technological improvements and updates from the various people on here.

Because of these rapid changes and need for adaptability, one of the things I am trying to do as much as I can is insulate myself so that I am able to flex with the changes that occur, as they occur. It won't be perfect and it will be a bumpy ride but the best thing is to do these things and prepare for these things ahead of time instead of being under the gun and having to make these under duress. The quality of those situations is far inferior to being able to do it when you are in a good state of mind and can think clearly and accurately.

Applying for jobs when you know you have a pretty good and updated resume is important. Having to update your resume while you're browsing jobs is incredibly stressful - trying to see if you need to change X Y or Z on it because you are seeing pieces of information in one job posting or another. Having it polished up and ready ahead of time makes a big improvement in the overall ability to do that and write cover letters and things of that nature while you are actively hunting.

I really don't want to change jobs for various reasons but at the same time I will not be foolish enough to think that the company I work for would extend themselves to make sure that I have a job or can keep my job. Yeah my manager, director and senior director will likely be upset that I left but they would have to move on and just deal with the cards they have. I know they would help me with references if I needed it but it goes back to being prepared for situations ahead of time, instead of being unprepared and incredibly stressed on many different levels. It makes the transition from one job to the next much smoother.

This is roughly what I did when I left my previous job. There was a situation that occurred and they thought they had me by the balls. I was certainly annoyed that I had to move onto greener pastures but it worked out for the better in the end. What I did do though is update and prepare my resume once I saw the writing on the wall - I was prepared and moved with agility instead of frozen like a deer in headlights. I don't want to say I'm the best at these things because I'm not and I don't enjoy it but at the same time, we have to do things that we don't enjoy and are uncomfortable because they are important for us to do. Making sure our resume and skills are up-to-date and being able to quickly and easily apply for jobs if need be, those are crucial and easy skills for us to do.

I am hoping to not need to apply for any jobs this year, but you better be sure that if the situation arises, I am far more prepared than some of the people I work with I can tell you that!

Are you guys keeping up with these things in case you have to change jobs?