Have you crafted your new resume yet?

If you haven’t yet, you absolutely must. Why? Because this summer is gearing up to be extremely busy in terms of hiring activity. The United States has gone into overdrive insofar as open positions and hiring. The unemployment rate has been at record lows, and it does not appear to be changing any time soon. We’ve entered into the fabled “candidates’ market.” It hasn’t been this good for job seekers since the late 1990s!

Meanwhile, there’s a popular misconception that hiring halts to a standstill during the summer months. Not true at all and don’t let that influence your strategy and tactics. There is no summer hiring freeze. The process may take a bit longer because some of the people you need to meet are on vacation, but those open positions still get filled.

As a matter of fact, you’ll likely be a bigger fish in a smaller pond as many other job seekers are also on vacation or have simply decided to put their job search on hold until after Labor Day.

Early summer is the perfect time to mobilize and get ready for your new job. Here’s what you need to do:

• Strategize about where you want to work next
• Write your new resume
• Prepare cover letters
• Determine who your references should be
• Finesse your LinkedIn profile and bio
• Google yourself and make sure your public social media footprint is employer-ready

Yes, while everyone else is doing summer Fridays, you may very well be sitting in a reception area waiting to be interviewed. But you’ll be the one with the new job by September!

If you need support in planning your job search and creating a professionally written, new resume, contact San Francisco-based resume writer, Robin Kelley, at Resume Preferred to schedule an introductory call. Follow Robin on Twitter @ResumePreferred. 

If you’re a senior executive and are seeking to capture and convey your value in the marketplace—and achieve the next level of career success—contact Leadership Career Consultant Amy Phillip.