Early Career/Professional: “Your Best Bite at the Big Apple” – June 20, 2019
If you can make it anywhere, you can make it in New York City.
Yes, that assertion turns the old traditional saying on its head, but it turns out to be true from a resume perspective. In general, what we find at Resume Professors is that the things that go into the job hunt are pretty common across the board—even when it comes to job hunting in such an uncommon, remarkable, one-of-a-kind—kind of place.
For starters, when you think about everything you’ve done in your career as preparation for the next thing you’re going to do, you realize that the first step is to make your own luck. That means keeping tabs on your personal and professional networks, reaching out to fellow alumni currently working in the city, and refining your social media profiles to a razor-sharp edge.
That’s the first slice.
Other bite-sized bits of advice come in the form of joining in the many routines of life in the big apple. An article appearing on glassdoor.com from just a couple years ago suggests frequenting dog parks, and contributing to popular volunteer organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York, The Partnership for the Homeless, and City Harvest, among many, many others.
The same piece speaks of searching out “speakeasies,” to use the local vernacular; or, more to the point, “happy hours,” in any number of popular after-hour gin joints to begin conversations with fellow friends and professionals. Not surprisingly, talk that starts with “What do you do?” can often lead to new opportunities to find more work in the same field in a better setting.
It stands to reason the whole concept works just as good when the discussion happens over coffee in the zillions of shops that dot the cityscape.
Also, New Yorkers are known for their love of sports leagues, teams, and social clubs. No matter what you bring to the table in terms of your own interests, you’re going to find others who share them. Making new friends is even better when they turn out to be colleagues—or ultimately—coworkers in your industry.
Those suggestions all have their distinct time and place in your career picture. Just as importantly, you can’t chalk any of them up to luck, other than in the idea that pursuing any of those directions will generally increase your odds of being in the right place at the right time.
However, that’s when luck runs out—and preparation takes over.
Most successful people will tell you when you see a chance, you’ve got to take advantage of it. The best way we’ve found (after preparing thousands of resumes for job seekers in the New York market) is to go through the process of refining the way you come across on paper as a prelude to the way you come across in person.
The resume-building process is a soul-searching, skill-driven, and career-focused enterprise that enables you to put your abilities into a better state-of-mind, empowering you to speak more confidently about yourself and what you intend to do in your career.
The only lucky part is finding Resume Professors first—in New York, or anywhere.
Now, it’s … up … to … you!
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