With the "hot 100" days of summer approaching, I thought it would be a good time for a post on preparing now for the inevitable job searching season that follows in the fall and winter. As we all know, the three summer months in most areas of the country are extremely busy on the golf course, demanding long hours and focus on saving turf conditions.

Year after year, the same thing always happens come September... a great job opens up and I get a multitude of calls to see how quickly a career website/portfolio/resume can be built, or you are doing it yourself and can?t put it together in time. Lack of preparation is no way to go after your next great career step. Now is the time to get everything in order for the chance that a job you aren?t expecting will become available later this year.

Lack of preparation is no way to go after your next great career step. Now is the time to get everything in order for the chance that a job you aren?t expecting will become available later this year..."

I know, I know... there is no time in the summer to do any of this. But if you spend just a few minutes each week this summer documenting and organizing your materials, it will do you a world of good when fall rolls around. Plus summer is when you need to get most of the images and information required for a great package of materials. Here are a few tips when making your way around the course this summer:

KNOW THE AUDIENCE & GET THE SHOTS

You naturally want to show golfers what it takes to deliver the fantastic conditions at your club, so the default choice for most is to include a plethora of images and information about aeration, drill and fill, deep tine, etc. And there is a place for that for sure. But one thing I always see as lacking are superb, first-class images of your turf conditions at the course. Very few guys have quality when it comes to this most important area, maybe one or two nice shots. Why is it important? Summer is the time of year that your golf course looks its best and that golf patrons see every day. They can relate to those pictures much better than any cultural practices or project pictures. They see the finished product.

When you are out on the course and see something looking particularly great that morning, find a good camera and take a picture. Some of the higher end phone cameras will do this decently, but usually the clubhouse has a DSLR or comparable camera that you could use or have them come out to take the shots. Think about taking some closer-up shots of the actual turfgrass as well to show density, uniformity, etc.

BUILD A BIO ALL SUMMER

Spend one day each week this summer creating part of your career biography and history. Why did you take your first job on a golf course? What led you into the field? Why do you still do this every day? These are great to include and usually come together best when you are in the season preparing for play every day. By building this in pieces it can make the task much easier and draw upon different moods you may be in each time.

CAPTURE THE EVENTS

Preparing and hosting events is a big deal in today's golf world. Nearly everyone I have worked with always lists big tournaments they were involved with, and that is good to include. But just as important are the smaller events at your own club. The annual Member-Guest or Club Championship is typically a big deal at most clubs and very few highlight this properly in their career materials.

Instead of just stating that you have the course in great condition for these events, document what was done. Take pictures of rolling greens, changing hole locations, having a staff meeting at 5am the day of the event, etc. But most importantly, take pictures during the event of golfers enjoying themselves out on the course. Hiring clubs want to see what you did for events like this at your current club and how you will present the course for similar events.

If you focus on getting these tasks completed, it will make for great content for your materials where you could put them together much quicker in late summer, or hand them over to hired help so you will be ready for that next great opportunity.