It’s impossible to predict when opportunity is going to knock. Whether you are actively applying to new jobs, you’re approached by a recruiter out of the blue, or an internal position at your current company opens up, it’s essential to be able to respond quickly. Here are six essential items everyone should keep at the ready in their career toolbox:

1. A Thoughtfully Crafted Resume: It’s incredibly difficult to build an effective resume at a moment’s notice. Creating a well-written, accomplishment-driven document that effectively conveys your strengths, skills and ambitions requires thought and preparation. Don’t leave this until the last minute; a resume created under pressure most likely won’t be your best representation.

2. A Polished LinkedIn Profile: Employers use LinkedIn to search for talent, in some cases abandoning the traditional job boards (Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed) entirely in favor of this social platform. A detailed profile modulated to your job search (subtle for the currently employed and more obvious for the active job seeker) will help put you on the radar for jobs you haven’t considered or applied to. Likewise, many employers use LinkedIn to validate what’s on your resume; in other words, if you’re not shy about highlighting some of your resume accomplishments on a public platform such as LinkedIn, you lend them more credence.

Source - Read More at: www.forbes.com