Don’t Wait For The New Year To Apply For The Job
Winter is beginning to set in, the Christmas marketing push is upon us and thoughts go back to New Years resolutions (those we did not keep). We face the end of the year and wonder what are we doing with our lives?
If you feel your career is stalling and your goals are not materialising then it’s time to push forward with a job change.
DON’T make the all too common mistake of putting it off until the New Year.
For some people, sadly imagining a job search brings up thoughts of applying into black holes, awkward interviews, and potential rejection. We suggest you have either been dealing with the wrong recruiters or perhaps you need a little help identifying where you may be going wrong?
By using these months wisely you gain the advantage over the horde of folks who will begin their search in early to mid-January.
So what should I do?
Know What Makes You Tick
We say this all the time…the hiring process is a two-way thing. You equally have to be as happy with your potential employers are they are with you; if it is to be successful.
Be clear about what you love about your current role and your team and your line management. This is as important as identifying all the tings you don’t like! This will help you identify what is important to you in your next opportunity. Then you can prepare appropriate questions during the interview process to get the information you need to figure out whether or not it’s the right place for you.
Your CV
Then there’s your CV. Don’t simply glance over it and think adding a few bullet points will suffice.
What are the biggest achievements of your career? When were they? How did you achieve them? What challenges did you overcome? What results did you bring about for your customers, your company or your team? Be clear, concise and try to quantify your achievements and impact.
Who Do You Want To Work For?
Then get clear about what companies YOU want to work for. We recommend you make a target list of companies you’d like to work for. These can include your dream-job companies, others that are key in your industry or even back-ups if you can’t get your dream choice. As you rank, consider how your accomplishments, experience and goals align with the objectives and strategies of these companies.
Like we tweeted in the week…take a look at the companies social media and job adverts. Compare the content they put out and see if there’s a common trend eluding to certain qualities or experience they really value and are looking for.
Way ahead of January, companies have active opportunities!! Just take a look at our VACANCIES page…
By pushing through the tendency to procrastinate at this time of year, you can help yourself steel a march on all those people who are putting it off until January. Beat the competition.