10 Ways to Reenergize Your Job Search in the New Year
Posted December 30, 2013 & filed under Job Search
The week between Christmas and New Years can leave you feeling a bit lost. You are tired from all the Holiday meals and sweets, and you have that jarring feeling that your job search will have to resume in a just a few days. But how will you go about it? Follow these tips and you will hit the ground running on your job search as soon as the New Year starts.
Take a moment to reassess your career
Where were you five years ago, and where do you want to be five years from now? The first thing you should do in the New Year is reassess where you have come from, where you are now, and what your goals are for the future. Plus, you will likely even stumble upon the answer to a commonly asked interview question.
Re-write your resume
The New Year is the perfect time for you to revamp your resume and give it the fresh coat of polish that it will need to survive in the coming months. If you haven’t done so already, clear out all the words that are overused or ineffective and replace them with ones that are sure to catch the hiring manager’s eye.
Actually start writing cover letters
How many times did you send out the same cover letter last year? Simply swapping out the name of the company in which you are applying is just as detrimental to your job search as not sending one at all. So dust off that old summary of your career and transform it into one that hiring manager’s will actually read.
Rekindle old relationships…
It may be a new year but that doesn’t mean you should abandon relationships from the years past. A vital part of effective networking is keeping in touch with old workmates, friends, and any other contacts you have made along the way.
And form new ones
When was the last time you added a few business cards to your collection? Just because you were shut inside of your house sending out resumes last year doesn’t mean you can’t venture out into the world this year. Make it a point to make some new friends and industry contacts right out of the gate in January.
Prepare for coming interviews
If you play your cards right this year, you should have a few interviews coming your way. Knowing the questions you will be asked, along with a few that you should be asking, will make this year undoubtedly more successful for you and your career.
Learn from your past mistakes
An even better way for you to prepare for interviews in the New Year is to go back and analyze the mistakes you have made in the past. Apply those lessons to your next interview and you will surely be more successful this year.
Don’t forget your soft skills
Your technical skills aren’t everything. Hiring managers also want you to highlight your soft skills during the interview. Convince them that you are not only the most qualified candidate but one that they will want to have on their team as well.
Don’t burn out
The job search isn’t easy, and the renewed sense of vigor you get from the New Year will only last so long. Make sure you don’t burn out before you even reach the second week of the year.
Keep your head up
Even if you had a hard time finding success last year, that doesn’t mean that this year will be the same. Focus on what you have to do each day, look for help wherever you can get it, and make this year the most successful one for your career to date.
By Kevin Withers
