What advise would you give an OnRamper just starting her job search?
Try to write a focused description of a job you would like to have. Employers may not see as clearly as you can what skills from your prior experience can be leveraged in a new role. Talk to people who are in the industry you want to work in to get a sense of what jobs would work for your background and lifestyle. Then approach employers with a very specific job in mind. You might have multiple “ideal” jobs, but be sure to know how roles are defined and described at the firms you are targeting. If you don’t know in advance, then set up informational interviews to ask people in the business about what they do, what their colleagues do, and what their qualifications are. How did you find your current job and did you do much networking? I did a lot of networking, and only a little of it led to anything. But it was a very important part of the process. I started by thinking of what type of firms I wanted to work for. Then I called everyone I knew at those firms, and I mined as many contact
