3 Ways to Be a Constant Job Seeker

3 Ways to Be a Constant Job Seeker 3 Ways to Be a Constant Job Seeker 8If you’ve landed a cushy position after a long and rigorous job search, the last thing you want to do is start thinking about your next job- but you should. According to a study from staffing firm Accountemps, almost half of the population hasn’t looked for a job in years. Five years, to be exact. It’s estimated that the average employee stays with their current employer for about four and a half years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What’s interesting to note is that number varies greatly by age, as well as occupation. For example, workers aged 25-34 have an average tenure of 3.2 years, while employees age 65 and over have a median tenure of a whopping 10.3 years. So let’s say that you’ve been at your job for a year or two. You’re fairly happy there and don’t really want to look for another position. What should you do? It’s always a good idea to keep yourself primed for your next job search. After all, you should never bank on being at any one company for any specific length of time. Companies close, jobs are eliminated, and at the end of the day, there’s really no such thing as job security, no matter how much you love your position and how much your boss adores you back. Here are three ways in which you can be a constant job seeker even if you’re already employed. Schedule informational interviews. Informational interviews are important, whether you’re employed or not. You can learn what other companies are looking for in their employees, and you can also practice your interviewing skills. That way, when you need to actually go on an interview, you’ll be prepared for any strange interview questions thrown your way. Update your resume. Styles change, and no where is that more evident than in resumes. You may have a traditional (read: older) version of your resume that hiring managers no longer want to read (or worse, lies on your resume). Having a non-updated resume also tips off a potential boss as to not only how old you are approximately, but how long it’s been since you’ve been in the job market. Both of these can count against you, so study up on the current resume styles and adapt yours accordingly. Keep networking. Sure, you absolutely hated networking events when you were unemployed and thanked your lucky stars that you wouldn’t have to attend another one once you were hired. But networking events are not just for job seekers; they’re especially important for people with jobs, too. Whereas a potential connection may be reticent to help you because you’re unemployed, you may have an easier time establishing a true connection with someone important within your industry if you let them know that you don’t want anything (i.e., a job lead) from them. These relationships can turn into friendships (and pivotal connections) that will help you in the future when you really do need to look for another position. Of course, the goal of every job seeker is to find a job that they love and get out of the rat race of looking for a job. When you do get hired, you can relax and rejoice for a bit, but never stop being on the lookout for the next connection or job lead. The extra work that you do as a constant job seeker while you’re employed might save you time, energy, and yes, money, when you do need a new job in the future. Readers, are you a constant job seeker, even when you have a job? Let us know in the comments section below!