Is a New Job Forecast for 2014?

Now that we are entering the last two months of the year, there will be a lot of activity going on with the holidays fast approaching.   While you may be planning your holiday fare and making your lists for gift buying and decorating,  it might be time for you to think about adding a new job on those “To Do” lists.  Starting off the new year in a new position, with a new company, or working for yourself might be what you need to start out 2014 with a bang.

Organizations have already been planning their strategies for the new year and know which positions are needed to help them advance their goals and to position themselves for growth and financial success.  With that said, this is the time for you to take advantage of their strategies and to begin your job search now.   Managers will be feeling less pressured during this time so they can focus more on their tasks, including bringing on new talent, so this is the perfect time to get noticed.

Here are some basics to help you jump-start your move to a new job:

1.  Complete an assessment of yourself – including your skills, talents, accomplishments, etc., as well as of your preferred work environment and the industry/salary.  You might want to SWOT yourself to get a better handle on what you have to offer an employer and what opportunities are out there waiting for you.   Review all your job tasks, as well as your accomplishments/outcomes (with quantifiable numbers) and write them down.

2.  Update your resume and social media profiles – be sure to add in all those accomplishments you listed above so you stand out; remember WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)  so you can speak to the needs of the employer.  Create your brand so you are easy to identify and then use that brand in all your written and social media sites.  Update your LinkedIn profile with the brand tag line (be careful to not advertise that you are job-seeking), as well as your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Clean-up any detrimental pictures or comments (especially tags) as employers are checking these out.

3.  If you aren’t sure where to look for a new position, you might check out: indeed.com, linkups.com, simplyhired.com, resumebear.com or startwire.com, to name a few.  When you find jobs you are interested in, match up your skills to the ones the employer is looking for to ensure you qualify, as well as to list those skills in your resume so they get picked up by the Applicant Tracking System used by most employers.

4.  Write a good cover letter that highlights certain skills or experiences you want the employer to notice, or to add skills/experiences you might want to bridge to your resume.   You want to get an interview and this can help to increase your chances of getting noticed.  Update your references or confirm with your current ones that they will still vouch for you.

5.  Create a strategy for how you will go about finding a job, when/time investment, and a feedback system or log to track the effectiveness of those strategies.  You don’t want to keep doing the same activity with no return on it.   Include in your strategies internet searches, company websites, networking meetings, current contacts, chat rooms, LinkedIn groups, and your alumni association.

Following these steps won’t guarantee you a new job but they can catapult you into a new position by the start of the year.  If you need any help, call today for a free 20-minute strategy session to get started!  http://www.cyscoaching.com