#18. How do I actively find opportunities?

In this letter, I'd like to talk about how to "zero in" on your next job, how to improve your resume, and how to contact people.

One of the benefits of reaching out to people is that they sometimes respond.?

Most of my letters are written in response to a single person or conversation.?

In response to my previous email and my “Thank you for reading! How are you?” active outreach, a coworker from a decade ago wrote a long letter.

My friend was affected by layoffs and had difficulty finding a new job. As a result, they had to decide to vacate the apartment and seek help from friends. It was a heartbreaking story.

Since this is why I am writing this blog, I tried to do my little bid to help.

The rest of this letter is tactical advice on what to do to improve your lot.

Find your next job description.

In my previous post, #16. “How can you ensure your career is both satisfying and progressing?” I discussed micro-pivots and choosing where you want to go in the next couple of years. The link is provided below.

Once you choose your next career step, search for similar person profiles and job descriptions and copy them to your notes - Obsidian or Google Docs will do.

Once you have at least a thousand words of content, export it as a TXT or MD document. Upload the file to the LLM of choice, i.e., ChatGPT, etc., and start asking the following questions:

“Please analyze the file I have provided and answer the following questions.”

“What are the most common keywords people search when looking for candidates described in the document.”

“Give me a list of skills that best describe this role.”

“Give me a single sentence tagline that fits this profile.”

“Write a short cover letter or introduction that describes the position.”

Do NOT copy any of that to your resume!

Review your LinkedIn resume.

Next, keep the AI results in one document and look at your resume, which should include all your previous jobs, certifications, activities, volunteering, and school projects.

Review every word of your resume, keeping in mind what was in the past that was related to what you are seeking. I have done it previously:

• When seeking developer or architect roles, I de-emphasized that I was a manager, director, and successful startup founder and focused on technical skills. ?
• When seeking a management role, I focused on the leadership qualities of every job, including the USMC “Total Quality Leadership” training.
• Remove anything that does not help your cause and suggest to a new employer that you are not serious about your career.
• Ensure the organization’s names are official, selected from a dropdown, and have official logos.

Once you clean up your resume, export it to a TXT or MD file, give it to your favorite LLM, i.e., ChatGPT, and ask similar questions.

“Given my resume, please answer the following questions…”

“What is missing in my resume to achieve the previously discussed role?”

“Give me a short description using my own experiences that fit the role I am looking for.”

Do NOT paste anything to your resume yet.

Go to the setting of your LLM and find the equivalent of the following:

“What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?”

And describe in clear language what you are looking for.

Once you do it, please do another round of questions until you arrive at something you like, and that fits you.

Make the first impression with LinkedIn.

The combination of the photo you choose, the tagline, and the cover letter is your chance for the first impression.?

You have only one chance. Miss it, and you will fail.

Choose the profile photo.

I understand that not everyone is comfortable putting their face on the resume.?

Not putting any photo, in my personal opinion, eliminates you automatically.

Plenty of services will create a pleasant and professional avatar of your face.

Some people opt for a professional photographer, and some employers bring in photographers for this reason. It is probably the best option, especially for management positions.

My choice of photo is probably not very professional. I opted for sunglasses and a background to set a certain mood. A "suit" photo would not work for me at this moment.

Choose a tagline

Your tagline has to be short.?

Your tagline must show both who you are and where you are going.

I changed my tagline countless times, and by the time you read it, it will probably change again.

Write a personalized cover letter and introduction?

You noticed that I wrote:

“Do not copy ChatGPT-created text to your resume.”

AI can provide a great framework and guidelines, but it might come across as sterile, impersonal, or, worse, fake.?

Write your own story. Make it personal.

People are looking for undiscovered gems.

Sweep the reader off their feet. Re-write it often.

We are social creatures. Work on your relationships.

If you have less than 500 contacts on LinkedIn, I start to worry.?

By the time you read this, you will probably have completed 14 years of school and maybe 4 to 6 years of college. That is 20 years of meeting people every day.?

LinkedIn is an example of a professional network; it signals your intentions.?

Insta-face-pin-threads are for fun. Make the distinction.

The apps and algorithms change.?

I like to write “evergreen” posts that will be useful 10 years from now. In this case, however, I make an exception: Translate this to the technology of your time.

You have to start with your schoolmates and teachers, with parents and their friends. If you connect to all of them and (especially) me, the rest of the professional world is your 2nd-degree connection.?

Choose the connections you add carefully, and prioritize.

LinkedIn allows you to add about 100 new, 2nd-degree contacts per week or 5,200 contacts a year. Please do not waste a single week. Time is a perishable and irreplaceable resource.

In your career, you will gain tens of thousands of contacts.

At this point, you should read my post #7. “Why should you make a human connection, not a "quid pro quo" proposition, to assure a successful (business) relationship?” The link is provided below.

Good luck! That should keep you busy, at least until my next post. Please subscribe for the next one.

Oh, share this letter with others.

Respectfully,

Uki D. Lucas

#16. How can you ensure your career is both satisfying and progressing?

#7. Why should you make a human connection, not a "quid pro quo" proposition, to assure a successful (business) relationship?

Books I have recently read.

Please add them to your Amazon wishlist.