The September Surge: Is your career ready?

Time to spruce that CV and your profiles

Heard of the September Surge? It’s coming your way, and despite the name, it’s not a new horror movie or menopause symptom.

This is a time of year when people are job hunting. They’re updating CVs and they’re looking at roles, browsing those job ads, browsing company websites…

The ‘surge’ is about people shifting, changing and pivoting in their careers. I would also like to propose calling it ‘itchy feet season’.

It’s a trend that’s come from the US, and the surge period is thought to be from Labor Day to Halloween.

If the TikTokkers who talk about the September surge are to be believed (and why not?!) then it’s time to think about your CV, your profiles, your goals and your career future.

Oof.

That’s a lot, right?

But I’m on board. I think now, post holidays, pre-autumn, is a great time to look at how you show up for your career and yourself, even if you’re not looking to move companies or roles.

Lurking on LinkedIn? Get with the surge and post more! CV not been updated for months or years? Why not have a look at it?

It might be you’ve been thinking ‘I want a new job’ for a long time. Embrace the September Surge and get looking!

It might be you want more in your current role - from training to promotion. Use this time, now everyone is back from the summer holidays, to try and talk to your manager about your goals and needs.

My advice if you do set up a chat is to have some suggestions - courses you’d like to do rather than ‘I want training’ or ‘I want to learn’. They might have no idea you’re keen to do a course, or training, and be pleased you want to.

It might make them realise that you’re keen to grow in your role, and, if they don’t support you, you might just take those skills elsewhere.

So what can you do to join in with the Surge? Here’s some tips from me:

When it comes to your LinkedIn profile there are three very simple things you can do to get with the surge:

1. Update that profile pic. Camera-facing. not black and white. taken in the last ten years (joke - taken recently!)

2. Add a banner if you don’t have one

3. Change your account to a creator account and add what you talk about under your bio.

4. Do a re-intro post. Say hi, say what you do, say what you’re into.

5. Ask for recommendations. Yes it feels icky. Yes do it anyway.

Over on Instagram you can do the same with the intro post. Try a reel, have a look at who you’re following and who you should follow in your industry.

Updating your CV will seem like an uphill struggle. Here are five steps to getting started:

1. Find it.

2. Open it. (Possibly wince. That’s fine.)

3. Duplicate it - then work on the new copy. So your old copy stays as a master document.

4. Print it out and mark up what sounds right, what sounds old, what sounds like it needs oomph. If it feels ‘showy offy’, you’re on the right track.

5. Add your current role if it’s not on there (it most likely won’t be on there as the last time you looked at it was when you went for this role)