Written by: Juliette Johnson, Communications Committee Writer
The workplace landscape is changing and PMI Atlanta is committed to offering programs that provide an insight on how members can position their career status. Throughout the month of July, PMI Atlanta asked sponsoring companies like DISYS, Truebridge, Prestige Staffing, Matrix Resource, InComm, CCCi, Riverwood Resources, and Daugherty Business Solutions to share their industry knowledge and experience with regard to job trends, networking, and the challenges job seekers are facing in this new social media-centric world. The Dinner Meeting Recruiter Panel kicked off the month long focus on career strategy programs.
Yvonne Byars, Chair, and Doug Guice, VP of Membership acknowledged that setting a job positioning and networking strategy was key to moving a career forward. This year, PMI Atlanta presented 8 experienced recruiters in nearly every industry Atlanta has to offer. These industry experts quickly honed in on the importance of certifications and branding your professional social media presence. Inventing and reinventing your brand and skills is critical to anyone’s career strategy. Thinking through how your business and soft skills can transfer from one industry to another as technology skills are now driving the job market in Cyber Security, Big Data, Mobile Apps, and Healthcare.
The recruiter panel referenced social media sites as popular avenues for HR professionals to scout for talent. Building a solid network of contacts while you don’t need favors is an easy ticket for future success. Your LinkedIn contacts, colleagues, and active membership in career associations provide insight to your credibility through virtual presence. So populate your social media profiles with your accomplishments. Start with what you have done and follow it up with how you did it. Tell a story. Turn your resume into a personable characterization of what you stand for and why you do what you do. Stay away from listing your accomplishments to avoid sounding like the masses. Recruiters advise using the social media platforms as your mantel to showcase your completed goals. As with your resumes and any written communication, be mindful of your grammar and do not over exaggerate your accomplishments.
Certifications are an added career enhancement. However, your attitude, coupled with aptitude, make you an asset to any organization. If you are between jobs, use the time to volunteer, consult, and develop your professional skills. Use the time to do some self-evaluation and connect with recruiters who can be objective and help redefine your career, and refine your skills. The next big thing is to understand how your career can evolve with the new skills required to deliver products and services for future industry growth. PMI Atlanta has planned an educational program series to support members’ professional growth and will continue to create opportunities for members to expand their network. Each month, career-focused meetings provide connections for attendees. Come meet and greet with others and practice telling people what you are looking to do in your career. Taking a bit-by-bit approach and targeting conscious action in setting yourself apart from the masses can make you the next big thing.