10 Highly Effective Career Hacks I’ve Used to Dramatically Increase my Income and Find a Job I Love

I remember my college counselor telling me that companies would be fighting over me like a black Friday deal at Target.

But, that didn’t happen. Far from it.

Instead, I (along with a lot of you) started adulting at one of the worst possible times of the last 100 years.

Thankfully, times have changed. And things have gotten
better.

A lot better.

#1 The national unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1969. [source]

#2 Wages are rising. [source]

#3 There are more job openings than people looking for jobs. [source]

In other words, it’s never been easier to find your dream job and make more money.

But, the good times won’t last forever. In fact, a lot of smart people are predicting that we’re approaching the end of this decade-long bull market.

The question is – what can you do to capitalize on the positive trends while times are still good?

To help, I’ve reflected on all the things I’ve tried over my first 10 working years and highlighted my most effective “career hacks.” As with anything else, the 80/20 can be applied. Some small things had a huge impact and some big, time-consuming things were a waste of time.

Understanding that I am just a sample size of one, I wanted to pick the brain of an HR expert to gather additional tips and to make sure I’m dishing out sound advice. My friend Tess, founder of CLT Leads, specializes in talent management and helping young professionals reach their full potential.

#1 Analyze internal positions that are one move away.

It’s simple, I know. But, the key to every new journey is to understand where you are and map out where you’re going. To figure out where you want to go, you should start by looking at which internal jobs (one move up or one move over) are intriguing, how long it would realistically take for you to move into these roles and how much they pay.

1. Glassdoor is your best friend.
   • Look up any salary by title or company. The data should be reliable if you work for a big company. The smaller your employer, the margin of error goes up.
2. Identify which hard skills and soft skills will get you there.
   • Hard skills: Excel, HTML, SEO or a foreign language
   • Soft skills: Effective communication, decisiveness, creativity and negotiation
3. Hard skills get you in the door. Soft skills allow you to move up.

#2 Once you know what it takes, start practicing those skills at your current job (even if it has little to do with your role).

Pro tip from Tess:
Print job descriptions of all the positions that look interesting to you. Highlight skills to start looking for themes. This will give you direction as to how to revise your resume or what to work on.

#3 Proactively tell your manager what you’ve done, what you’re doing and what you want to do.

Making your bosses life easier will in turn make your life easier. By providing proactive updates, you’ll earn a lot of trust and show that you’re on top of everything and likely gain more responsibility as a result.

Don’t be afraid to “manage up.” Ask your boss directly how they prefer to receive updates.

Figure out a cadence that makes sense to your situation. I usually go with weekly for what I’ve done, monthly for biggest focuses and every 3-6 months for what I see myself doing.

Pro tip from Tess:

• Use phrases like:
  • “My goal is to…so I’ve started…”
  • “I’d like to expand my skill set in this area…”
  • I’m really interested in…and feel like it will help me in my current role by…”
• And ask questions like:
  • What are my strengths?
  • What could I work on to be more effective?
  • How can I grow at…?

#4 Find a mentor and take them out to lunch every other month.

The best way to learn how to do something is to ask someone who has done it.

Pro tip from Tess:

Ask yourself who you know that can give you insights or opportunities (title doesn’t matter)? Set up a few “Get to Know You Meetings” to learn more about them and what they do. Then, follow up regularly. Check-in with them to see how that thing is going that they mentioned. Ask for advice or feedback on something you’re working on. A little personality and curiosity can go a long way.

After a few “Get to Know You Meetings,” choose someone to keep in touch with most regularly. Secretly call them your mentor and make it a goal to go to lunch every other month. Prep in advance so you know what you want to talk about and how you may be able to add value to them.

#5 Create a prospect list of high growth companies.

It’s easy to get comfortable with your current setup; but, unfortunately, the average annual raise is around 3% when you stay at the same company. Changing companies, on the other hand, can often lead to an immediate 10-50% bump. As long as you’re not jumping ship every 6 months for a similar role, then your moves should be easily explainable.

Here’s where you can find the most attractive jobs:

1. Linkedin Jobs
   • The professional networking site already knows a lot about your situation and they consistently highlight new opportunities that closely align with my interests, industry and skill set.
2. Sponsors and Attendee Lists of Industry Conferences
   • Interested in FinTech? Check out companies who attended Money2020 or any of the other 50 money-focused conferences. There’s literally a conference for anything and Sponsorships are not cheap, so it’s usually companies with cash to burn that are looking to grow.
   • Scroll to the bottom of each companies site to quickly find open positions on their Careers page. 
3. Glassdoor, Indeed and TheLadders
   • TheLadders focuses on jobs paying $100k+
   • All 3 sites/apps allow you to save searches and setup alerts to be automatically sent to your inbox daily or weekly based on keywords.
4. Local Chamber of Commerce relocation and expansion news
   • Charlotte does a nice job of highlighting new companies who are moving into town (and bringing jobs) or existing companies who are expanding. Maybe your town does the same.

#6 Embrace sales, embrace change and embrace technology.

Not everyone is thriving in this economy. Companies are going out of business and entire industries are disappearing before our eyes. If you want to position yourself for the future, focus on these 3 things:

• Embrace sales:
  Teachers, Lawyers and CEO’s alike. As you move up in your career, you’ll
  quickly realize that everyone is in sales – trying to use your influence to
  persuade others to do what you want.
• Embrace change:
  Companies have to adapt quicker than ever in order to survive, so they’re
  rolling out new systems and processes on the reg. If you can become an early adopter and advocate of change, you can set yourself apart from those that resist it.
• Embrace technology:
  There. Are. Self. Driving. Cars. If you can understand how any of this stuff actually works, you’re in a good spot.

#7 Grab coffee with everyone. And tell them exactly what you’re looking for.

It’s all about who you know and it’s never been easier to get to know a lot of people. Build relationships online and schedule informal get-togethers in order to turn 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th degree connections into friendships.

The best time to do this is when things are going well and you don’t need anything at all. No pressure. Just get to know more people. It’s that simple.

Then, when the time comes to call in a favor, be really specific about what you’re looking for. If anyone ever asks what you see yourself doing and your response is “anything,” you’re done.

Pro tip from Tess:

Become a LinkedIn pro.

• Make sure your profile picture is not a selfie or a cropped picture of you at a party with friends.
• Download the app and start by using it 5 minutes each day. In those 5 minutes, invite others to your network (people you know and people you don’t know).
• Like and comment on posts in your news feed so that others start seeing you as an expert in your field (or the field you’re aspiring to move into).

#8 Customize your resume for each opportunity.

Pro tip from Tess:

Your resume is not a biography of every responsibility at every job you’ve ever had. It’s a list of accomplishments. Quantify the impact you have had and highlight the value you add.

Integrate key phrases and skills from each job posting into the resume. Yes, this takes extra time. Yes, it’s worth it. No recruiter wants to see a general resume that barely relates to the position you’re applying for. They want you to stand out! It makes their job easier.

#9 Create a massive list of questions to ask during your interview to show how much you know about their industry, the company and the challenges they face.

If you’re about to devote 40-60 hours each week towards something, you better come up with something better than “so….what’s the culture like?”

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Is there anything about my background or resume that makes you question whether I am a good fit for this role?
  • The interviewer will share their concerns with their team regardless. Why not ask them directly what they are so you can attempt to overcome them?
• What does success look like in this position and how do you measure it?
• Can you tell me anything about the person who was doing this role previously?
  • It’s a good way to see if this role is a launching pad for new opportunities or if there’s cause for concern. Like when you buy a house…don’t you care why the previous owner is leaving?

#10 Focus on how much you want to make, not how much you currently make.

Recruiters often directly ask the question, “what’s your current salary?” and, unfortunately, most unprepared job searchers answer it.

Instead, shift the focus towards whatever salary you want. It’s called framing and it’s Negotiation 101. And if you can muster it, have them
throw out the first number. It may be higher than what you were thinking.

In summary, it’s worth saying again…there’s never been a better time to make more and find something that you enjoy doing. And, no, you don’t have to start a side hustle or go back to school.

Just work hard at your primary job.