Top 10 actions to take right now to start your 2016 job search off on the right note.
Searching for a new job is hard work, which takes both time and dedication. By taking a proactive, professional approach to your job search, you will increase your odds of finding your next position.
- Update your resume.
- Clean up your social media pages to enhance, not harm, your personal brand.
- Reach out to your contacts including former coworkers, associations, and alumni networks. With all of the holiday parties going on, there are lots of opportunities for networking.
- Create a target list of companies you would be interested in working for and reach out to individuals in hiring roles on LinkedIn.
- Make the time and emotional commitment. There are never any guarantees when it comes to searching for a job, and it may take much more time and effort than you originally thought. You don’t want to get discouraged if the first few interviews you go on don’t result in a job offer you are satisfied with.
- Make sure you can dress the part. Check out your interview suit. Does it need to go to the dry cleaners? Maybe some minor alterations? Or maybe you need something entirely new? (Good thing there are lots of sales going on in all the major department stores.)
- Brush up on your interview skills.
- Keep applying to open positions. Many people stop looking for jobs during the holidays, and while hiring does slow down, companies still have open positions they need to fill. As a result, there may be less competition for open jobs than other times of the year.
- Follow up. It’s important to be persistent without being obnoxious. Respect the wishes of the hiring manager/recruiter and use the method of communication they offered.
- Work with a staffing agency that specializes in the areas you are looking to work in. They may have access to jobs that are not posted anywhere else online, as they work closely with the hiring managers at a wide variety of companies, both big and small.
Here at Key Resource Group we have a dedicated team of Staffing Managers and Recruiters who know the Buffalo job market and want to help anyway we can. Putting in some hard work now will ensure that you are ahead of the game come 2016.