This week's job tip takes a kind of different approach. We'll be talking about the things you can work at to help get your next position when you're still in a job and/or not even looking. Why do job search activities when you're not searching for a job? Well, the modern world today is unpredictable and things can shift quickly. There's no way to figure out when opportunities may come up and being prepared is commonly a wise and prudent maneuver. You'll be thankful you thought ahead if and when you need a new job.

Your resume is an important area of the entire means of getting work. It's often the first thing a potential employer will read to discover if you have the correct qualifications and experience for an open position. Many people begin to work on their resume only when they are actively looking for work. The challenge can often be that you will neglect or disregard very important undertakings, technologies, or experiences that you possess that might be an benefit to your resume. Sitting down with a blank sheet or a 5 year old resume can be a challenge. The perfect time to add important aspects to your resume is as you gain those experiences. Keep an active copy of your resume and edit it after large initiatives terminate or after you finish courses or any instruction. It will be a whole lot easier to remember the important points while they are fresh in your mind rather than years in the future when you are working to piece together your memory.

Another idea is to set a reminder in your schedule to update your resume twice a year (as example). These regular updates will likely be concise and take hardly any of your time. Keeping the applicable factors current in your resume, however, will pay off some day and doing the changes more frequently will likely save you time overall.

Networking is a key element in any good job search. A good time to start forming your network is when you're interacting with the people your work with. Make sure to hold on to the contact numbers and e-mail addresses for people who leave your company (especially ex-bosses). Be sure you get equivalent contact information from contractors or consultants who perform project or short-term work at your employer. They are often excellent connections as they probably go to a lot more short-term engagements and, consequently, see more employers. Just keep a basic list or remember to take care of your contacts in your address book. It's easy to accomplish and it'll be much (much) harder to try to remember and then find these folks months or years later when they would be able to help you!

So remember - even if you're not in search of work (or even plan to) you can still do a few simply actions to be prepared. Updating your resume and maintaining your networks are both simple to do and take only a few minutes of time. They can, however, be significant if and when you decide to move on and find a new job. Cheers!