The Syracuse Pen

Making Words Work for You

The robots are coming! What’s your plan?

Look out! The robots are coming! Seriously, they’re coming! And they want your job!

… OK, phew. Your job is safe now from automation. That was a close one.

But look out! Budget cuts and layoffs are coming! Watch out for falling axes! Your job is in danger!

… OK, you dodged that one. Good. You can relax; your job is safe, you have a good thing going, your boss is great, and — what? Your boss just took a new position in Charlotte and your new boss is the guy down the hall who’s had it in for you since day one? 

Panic!

… Or don’t panic, if you have a solid exit plan.

Any of these scenarios can be disastrous, and depending on your career, any of them could happen to you. That’s why it’s vital to have an exit plan in place before you need one.

How to prepare

Your exit plan should include:

  1. Having an updated résumé. It should describe your current job, responsibilities, and recent accomplishments.

  2. Keeping your skills up-to-date. Don’t get complacent because your job only requires you to know version 5 of the software. If version 6 is out, you’d better learn version 6, and mark your calendar for the release of version 7.

  3. Maintaining contact with your network. You know other people in your field who work for different companies; check in with them every now and then, connect with them on LinkedIn, have lunch to trade news from other corners of the industry. Know the environment, get their take on which way the winds are blowing, and start thinking about which direction you should set sail if the waters get choppy.

You never know when you will need your exit plan; it may sit in the back of your mind for years until you retire according to your own schedule. If so, mazel tov!

But if something unexpected does happen to throw you off course, an exit plan will let you start your new career path from a place of preparedness and control instead of panic and desperation. And that’s the best way to leave one job: with a firm focus on the next one.

They may not ask for a cover letter, but give them one anyway

Some job notices only ask for your résumé, without specifically requesting a cover letter.

It’s a trap. Don’t fall for it.

Because if you do just send in the résumé, cold with no introduction, somebody else will send a cover letter with theirs. That somebody else will show more interest in the job than you are. That somebody else will get called first.

It’s easy to send one copy of your résumé all over town; throw a bunch of fishhooks into the water and see if anyone bites. It’s this ease that makes it a bad idea; this approach says a number of things to your audience, none of which reflect well on your dedication to doing a job right, your seriousness about that particular job, or your respect for the reader’s time. Include a well-written (or even a mediocre) cover letter, however, and you show that you’ve taken the time to apply for that job specifically.

When you show the reader personalized attention, it gives the reader incentive to return the favor.

If the prospective employer and your résumé were strangers at a party, your cover letter would be the mutual friend who pulls the résumé over to the employer and says, “I have someone I’d like you to meet; I think you two would have plenty to talk about.” The cover letter is your chance to make a clear connection between your résumé and the job ad. Instead of making the reader figure it out on his/her own, here's your chance to point out why certain experiences make you uniquely qualified for the job you seek.

The résumé’s job is to get you the interview. But the cover letter is the bridge between your reader and the cover letter.

A good résumé can get you the interview, but a good cover letter will get the résumé looked at.

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Greg Marano