A Year-End Guide for Job Seekers in Orlando to Help You Land Your Dream Job in 2024!

 

The Central Florida job market is robust. As the year draws to a close, now is the perfect time for Central Florida job seekers to prepare for the best job ever in 2024. If you are currently employed, is your job meeting all your career needs? If you prepare yourself properly and understand how to work the Orlando job market, you will find yourself in a career-changing position quickly.

A couple of things to keep in mind. Orlando employers with less than 50 employees make up 75% of the companies in the region. You know about all the fantastic jobs at Walt Disney World, Universal, Lockheed Martin, Siemens, Advent Health, etc. So many other outstanding jobs are at companies you never heard about. These companies provide competitive salaries, great benefits, and, most importantly, a career path.   Secondly, companies today are hiring not only for skill sets but also for soft skills.

That is why it is so important you do everything you can to get an interview so your soft skills can shine. Here are four ways to get prepared.

Revamp Your Resume and Online Presence.

Before the new year begins, critically examine your resume and update it to reflect your most recent accomplishments, skills, and experiences. Tailor it to the specific job roles you're targeting, emphasizing your unique value proposition. Ensure that your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and optimized with relevant keywords for your industry. Many employers and recruiters rely on online platforms to find potential candidates, so make sure your skill sets shine!

Network in Orlando.

Networking is a powerful tool for career growth. I am a board member at the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce, and we host over 70 events each year.   One of these events is coffee club. Over 50 people attend each, and you will meet an endless group of exceptional professionals in a friendly, fun setting. It takes one connection to help you get an interview or learn about a job or company you have not heard about. Live networking is powerful, and if you attend these events, you will be shocked at how quickly you can change your job outlook! There are over fifty chambers in Central Florida, and you can attend networking events like this every day. This is a home run.

Find Companies You Know Nothing About.

This is called research. You can start with job boards like OrlandoJobs.com, but many Central Florida companies do not post their jobs anywhere except their corporate career website under the "careers" tab. To find these hidden companies, the Orlando Business Journal reports about many of them each week. Get an online subscription, which will include the "book of lists" which will give you the top 25 companies in every sector. Use chamber websites and search their members for companies you don't know. Once you get these companies, research what they do, look at their jobs, and apply. Your chances of interviews increase since many of these jobs will only get a few resumes since they are not on a job board.

Have a Plan.

Define the type of job you want, the industries and companies you're interested in, and the path you need to take to get an interview. Rely on your networking, research, and resume optimization to ensure you get an interview. You plan to attend three networking events each week, apply to five jobs that you find at companies you have never heard of, and grow your professional digital social network on sites like LinkedIn by ten connections. 

Finally, pay attention to the power of your social network. Let them know you are looking for a specific type of job, and you may be surprised at how quickly your network responds!