New Year – New Opportunities
For many professional people the coming of ‘New Year’ is often a time which can spark thoughts of negativity, dread and anxiety – especially relating to work.
Am I going to be doing this for the rest of my life? Am I where I thought I would be at this stage in my life? Is this my dream job?
If this sounds like you, you’re certainly not alone. New Year is a clear sign that we have moved another year forward on our timeline and often we feel like nothing has changed since the last time.
This doesn’t have to be the case and this year, we have seven tips to help you get closer to that job you really want.
- Review your goals
It might seem obvious but what do you really want? Is it a new role in the same industry? Or is it a change of location? Are you just after a pay rise? Or do you want to start over in a whole new career path? These answers to these questions will give you a clearer vision of what you really want to achieve and will help you begin planning towards that goal.
- Choose a path
You should now have a vague idea of which direction you would like to be heading. Have you decided you love your industry and want to progress further or that it’s time to make a move to a whole new location? Either way, now’s the time to pick what the move will be. Pick an end goal, a position you’d like to be in and we can start to work backwards from there.
- Find out what you need
If you’re looking for a promotion, do you have the necessary experience? If you’re trying to change industries, do you have the relevant qualifications?
Have a look at our current vacancies page and read a few job descriptions that match your desired move. Compare yourself quite critically against the roles requirements, make sure that you have what your potential employer is looking for. Not everything is always a must, but the closer you match the job description, the better your chances are of landing that job.
- Customise your approach
Update your CV. Make sure you specifically focus on the skills that make you a great candidate for the job you plan on applying for. Since CVs aren’t usually read word for word, you want your key skills to stand out. Use bullet points or bold on the key things you want employers to know about you. Also, don’t forget to rewrite your cover letter. Never send a cover letter addressed to the wrong company or describing your suitability for the wrong job – these are mistakes that will often cost you any chance of an interview.
- Make use of Social Media
Social media is a powerful platform for job seekers and if you’re not taking advantage of this, you are probably missing out on a lot of good opportunities. Websites like LinkedIn have the sole purpose of professional networking, which potential employers can use to seek out individuals with desired skillsets. Start following companies you would like to work for on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This will keep you up to date with changes to those companies (which could be useful during interviews), and they might even advertise for job vacancies through their social media accounts, giving you a chance to get in early.
A second point to mention is that Social Media can also work against you. Remember that potential employers could look at your social media accounts without telling you. Make sure that your personal profile isn’t shooting you in the foot before you even enter the door.
- Use a recruiter to help you search for jobs
Get in touch with us, have a chat so we can find out what you are searching for. Looking for jobs online can take up a lot of time and if you are working currently, you may not have the time to be looking at job sites all day. We are constantly aware of advertised jobs that are available and often know of opportunities before they are even advertised. Having your CV on file with us will allow you to get smart alerts (from a real person) for jobs that match your expertise, or desired career move, as soon as they become available.
- Stay positive
Job hunting can be pretty draining if you don’t have much luck. Remember to keep a positive outlook, if you don’t get that interview you really wanted, you might not have the experience needed just yet. If you have a terrible interview, don’t be put off, just consider it practice for your next one. Stay positive because your dream job does exist, you just simply haven’t found it yet.
Don’t forget, if you’re looking to make a change in the New Year, be sure to like us on Facebook so that you get notifications straight to your newsfeed and register your details with us here.