???? Grit It Done! ????

It’s a big week for basketball! On Wednesday, the Memphis Grizzlies face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers for their first official game of the season.

Already, the team is receiving positive feedback from sports analysts and fans alike. ESPN even ranked the team the 2nd best franchise among all professional sports, behind the #1 ranked San Antonio Spurs.

But, when the players step on the court next week, it’s not going to be the first time they’ve thought about the game since last season. They’ve been staying in shape, practicing, and preparing for the months ahead.

Just like the Grizzlies practice to perfect their game, you’ve got to practice to keep up your interview and job searching skills. Going in for an interview cold after not searching for a job for years can be a huge shock to the system — just like it would be to play a professional basketball game when you’re out of shape.

So, what can you do to keep up your game, even when you’re not actively looking? Here are a few tips:

Keep Your LinkedIn Up To Date – One of the #1 things people forget about is LinkedIn. Just because you’re not looking doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep it up to date. Often, a job will find you when a recruiter happens to come across your LinkedIn profile. But, if it’s not up to date with your latest skills, they won’t have enough information to convince them you’re the right one.
Use a Universal E-mail Address – What I mean by this is, make sure your contacts have an easy way to find you. If you’ve been at the same company for 10 years, and everyone e-mails you at work – how would they reach out to you if you suddenly didn’t have a job?
Keep a Backup of Your Contact List – This has the same origins as the previous tip. If you no longer had access to your e-mail box at work, how would you contact people? In addition to losing your job, your computer can crash. There’s little more damaging to your long game than not having the phone numbers and e-mail address of those who can help you. If you don’t know how to back up your contacts, Google it! There are tons of great tutorials available.
Always Carry Business Cards – You never know where you might make a new contact, or meet your new boss. Avoid being one of those people who’s always saying, “Wow! I wish we could stay in touch, but I completely forgot to pack my cards!”
Keep Your Resume Up To Date – This may sound silly when you’re not looking for a job, but trust me, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself. The worst time to create a resume from scratch is when you’re applying for a job. First, it’s a ton of pressure. Second (and most importantly), you want to include performance numbers in your resume. How will you remember them if you don’t keep track over the years?

Speaking of getting things done, for this week’s podcast, I interviewed Rick Trotter, the Public Address Announcer for the Memphis Grizzlies. Rick shares how he landed a job in professional sports, advice for others interested to work in sports, and how you can create a slam dunk career.

If you’ve ever thought of working for the NBA or other professional sports, this podcast is the one for you! I hope you’ll tune in Tuesday to hear my entire interview with Rick.

Go Grizzlies!

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Also, be sure to subscribe to my Copeland Coaching Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher where I discuss career advice every Tuesday! If you’ve already heard the podcast and enjoy it, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Happy hunting!