Your 2019 Career Playbook

January 7, 2019
Kimberly Ben
Cover Letter, Job Search, Job Search Coaching, LinkedIn, Resume, Social Media

Happy new Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and is as eager as I am to embrace a new year. After a much needed 2 week break, I’m hitting the ground running with scheduled Career Strategy Consultations, coaching calls, and incoming clients projects.

During the holiday break, I did a bit of research on 2019 career trends and identified a few you could implement right away to give you an added edge in your job search and other career plans (I also spent a lot of time watching football with my husband and sons, hence the title of this post).

Professional Branding

This is a big part my strategy to personalize their resumes (and other career communications) and job search coaching. When you apply for a job, or are looking to get hired by a known company, **you need a strong brand that matches the employer’s needs/goals.** Your professional brand should position you as an expert in your industry.

Social Media Authenticity & Transparency

Social media is a powerful branding tool when you pair it with the right strategy. **Employers review prospective job candidates’ social media profiles for a reason.** The updates you share on social media should balance who you are as an individual with who you are as a professional in a way that’s transparent and authentic. Strive for quality or quantity when posting.

ATS-Optimized Resumes

General, one-size-fits-all resumes don’t work. They can’t successfully pass a company’s ATS software screenings. It will continue to be important to include job-specific keywords in your resume and cover letter, and to ensure your resume follows all other ATS guidelines to ensure your documents are successfully passed along for consideration.

Leveraging the Gig Economy

The Gig Economy refers to consultant/freelance projects, entrepreneurial opportunities, and independent contract jobs. These jobs are usually per assignment, temporary, short-term contracts, and other flexible opportunities.

These types of opportunities can be utilized as “fillers” between periods of full-time employment to maintain a consistent work history. You can also use them to develop new skill sets and even transition into a brand new career.

Cover Letters that Communicate Your Unique Value Proposition

Like resumes, cover letters should be tailored to the job you’re applying for based on in-depth company/job research that communicates your skills, experience, and achievements to match the requisites for the position you are targeting.

Integrate Storytelling in LinkedIn and other Social Media Profiles

There is a trend toward communicating your career story via a resume, job search letter, LinkedIn profile, etc. to really grab the reader’s attention. This can be accomplished using traditional story telling techniques like injecting the content with lightness and humor, creating inspiration through a series of challenges and achievements, etc.

Kimberly Ben

Kimberly Ben is a multi-credentialed Professional Resume and LinkedIn Writer and Job Search Coach. She has written hundreds of resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and other career communications for multiple career industries and professions. Kimberly’s extensive education, training, and experience have resulted in a clear understanding of current hiring best practices and the most effective job search techniques, branding strategies, and insight on what it takes to gain the competitive edge and impress employers in a challenging job market.