As the festivities come to an end, and the January blues begin to sink in, these next few weeks are popular with people wanting a change of scenery and looking for a new job.
If you’re one of those people, staring longingly out of the office window and dreaming of your ideal job, then this blog’s for you.
It can be easy to just jump into the January job hunt blindly and start applying for any old job that’s remotely relevant just because you fancy a change, but don’t be tempted to take this approach.
There’s a lot of planning and preparation that needs to go into an effective new year job hunt, and these tips should help you along the way.
1) Refresh Your CV
If you’re embarking on a job hunt after being in employment for a while, it’s worth having a look at your CV to make sure that it’s totally up-to-date.
While your CV might include the initial responsibilities of your current job or skill set, it’s worth going through it and seeing if there’s anything else that needs adding.
Think about the sorts of roles you want to apply for, and if you’ve taken on any new, relevant responsibilities or developed any new skills, be sure to include these on your updated CV.
2) Identify And Sign Up To Relevant Job Boards
When you’re trying to find your dream job, it’s important to know exactly where to find the vacancies you’re looking for, so that you’re not wasting your time looking at the wrong sites.
While you might think it’s better to search on generic boards like Monster and Jobsite, it’s actually more effective to sign up for niche job boards such as Bubble Jobs *wink wink*, as you know you’ll always find relevant roles and won’t have to sift through a load of jobs that aren’t in your industry.
When you sign up for your chosen boards, make sure you set up job alerts so you’re emailed every time a relevant vacancy that matches your criteria goes live – this will not only save time, but will ensure you’re ahead of the competition.
3) Make A Schedule
One of the most vital parts of your new year job hunt is managing your time effectively, and the best way to do this is to make a schedule and stick to it.
Dedicate particular time slots each day to searching for jobs, applying for vacancies, checking emails, and tailoring your CV to each application, as well as any other job seeking activities.
Also, don’t forget to schedule in a bit of time for yourself – your job hunt is important, but don’t let it take over your life, otherwise you’ll go crazy!
4) Utilize Your Contacts
From time to time during job hunting, it’s more about who you know rather than what you know, so it’s always a good idea to whip out your little black book of contacts and put it to good use.
Now, I know most people don’t really have a little black book these days, so check out your phone contacts, LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers etc. for people who could help you with your job search.
Even if these people are industry experts who can give you some advice, or someone who works for a company you’d love to be a part of, it’s worth reaching out to these people as you never know what could come of it.
And there we have it! Some tips on how to kick start your 2015 new year job search! You can find some other bits of advice in Amy’s blog on job seeking tips for Christmas.
Do you agree with these tips, have any of your own or need some help with your own job hunt? Let me know in the comments below.
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: How To Kick Start Your New Year Job Search
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