New Year, New Me!
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07/01/2020
As we sit back and reflect on the year that was 2019, many of us take pause to also think about what we want to achieve both personally and professionally for the new year ahead.
We often hear and read the phrase “new year, new me”, most often at 12.01am on the 1st of January- but what does that actually mean for you?
For a lot of employees, the summer break cannot come quick enough after the intensity of the Christmas period, it is in this time that many individuals reflect on their current role. For many that reflection brings about the ‘light bulb’ moment of seeking a new opportunity.
We are often posed with the question- so when is the best time to start my job hunt? The honest answer is there is no perfect time, according to Seek.com the number of roles advertised in January 2019 versus January 2018 only rose by a modest 0.6%.
So, with this is mind let’s look at utilising the new year to prepare ourselves for the job hunt going forward. There are a number of key things you as a potential job seeker can do in the new year/ summer break to ensure when you are ready to start hunting for your next role you are ready to best represent yourself.
1) Ensure your resume is up to date
Use the break when you are sitting outside in the sunshine our lounging in your hammock to update your resume. Your mindset and the clarity that a relaxing break brings can also positively reflect on your resume. With less stress come the ability to focus and commit time to the task of updating your resume. The opportunity to really focus on this as opposed to trying to do it at 10pm at night after working a 10-hour day, feeding and bathing the kids and eating dinner will guarantee a much better result.
2) Update your LinkedIn
While you are spending time relaxing or catching up with friends make sure you also update your LinkedIn profile. The other tip I would highly suggest is activating the open to new opportunities function on LinkedIn. This function allows recruiters with a recruiter license only to see you are in the market for a new role. To activate this function, go to the me tab then click on settings & privacy, scroll down to job seeking preferences and turn on ‘let recruiters know you’re open to opportunities’.
3) Connect with people on LinkedIn
Because you just never know who you might connect with and how they might be able to impact your search for the perfect role. Use the time to connect with old colleagues, clients and acquaintances. For many people that don’t use LinkedIn as a tool of the trade every day, starting a conversation or reaching out to an old colleague can be seen as a time consuming task- but alas no need to fear your on holidays so you can work on your tan while you connect with old friends and make new ones along the way.
4) Put together a ‘utopia role’ wish list
Now while I would love to say that you will find the perfect role that ticks every single box you have; the reality is that’s just not always 100% feasible. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the time to prioritise what are the not negotiables and what would be nice to have in your next role. This is always a great reference point to come back to during your job search, ensuring you are staying true to what you are really looking for. There is no better time to work on this list when you are in a clear and stress-free head space.
For many of us the idea of looking for a new role can be exciting, overwhelming and time consuming- the facts are that wont change anytime soon, however what you can do is use your down time and fresh 2020 perspective to spend time working on the professional you getting ready to best represent yourself going forward in 2020. So really when you hear the phrase ‘New year, new me’ don’t fret with all the overwhelming change you think you need to make, instead start to make those small changes while you have the time and you are in the right headspace to carry you forward into the NEW year
written by
Stephanie Berry
