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.

Your résumé must stand out before it's even read

One of the first rules of résumé writing is this: Make it stand out. You want yours to distinguish itself among a crowded field; that starts before the reader even opens the file. 

When clients email me old résumés for me to update or to use as a reference source when writing their new one, they can usually find it on their computer, no problem. It’s the file called “Resume.” Makes perfect sense when yours is the only one you’re concerned with.

But when I download it, it goes into a folder with all my other downloads. And being that I’m in the résumé writing business, you’d imagine I get a lot of files from clients labeled simply “resume,” so I sometimes have to do a little searching to find the one I’m looking for.

Wouldn’t you imagine a lot of prospective employers have the same issue?

Making it easier on them

So why would you want to make their job harder before they decide whether or not to give you a call? 

Worse: Why would you want them to open someone else’s résumé by accident, and run the risk that they like what they see in the other one before they’ve even found yours?

So here’s my solution. Instead of just giving your file the obvious title of “resume,” simply add your name to it (“Resume-Smith”). 

That’s it. That one little technique can make your résumé easier to find in a sea of generic filenames. It will separate you from the pack. It will show attention to little details and consideration for the reader.

But most importantly, it will make you stand out.

The Syracuse Pen provides résumé services and other writing and editing services for students, professionals, and small businesses. Visit our home page for more information about what we can do for you.

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Greg Marano