The new year is typically the right time to start thinking about career moves; as Flex Jobs points out, “the first quarter of the year is typically considered the best time of the year to find a new job.” Millions of people were out of work at some point this year—and millions more still are—so trying to find a job in a very competitive climate can feel daunting. Here are five tasks you can own between now and Jan. 1 so that you feel confident and prepared.
Even if you worked on a project you’re particularly proud of this year, it can be easy to forget to update your résumé to reflect that. Take five to 10 minutes to make sure your contact information is up to date, and scan for any typos or formatting inconsistencies like changing verb tenses. A good rule of thumb is to try to keep your experience distilled to one page; if you have over a decade of experience, you might want to expand beyond that limit, Monster notes. And if you’re worried that your résumé is plain and doesn’t stand out, don’t be: As The Muse points out, “A great traditional resume will be better than a mediocre creative one, every single time.”
Ask yourself what you want your life to look like in the next few months or years
This goes beyond holding a certain title or how you want to outfit your corner office. Do you want to move back to your childhood hometown, or to a new city (or country) entirely? What steps would you need to take to get there? Do you want to keep working remotely, or would you prefer to find a job with a centralized office space once it’s safe to go back? And if you want to one day launch your own company, what do you need to do now to make that dream a reality? The more you can ask yourself these questions now, the clearer your roadmap will be.
Research the average salary of each of the jobs you’re eyeing
Salary negotiations can be scary. What if the rate you ask for is too high and the company thinks they can’t afford you? What if you ask for a too-low rate and wind up underpaid? The more you research the average salary of your job and jobs like yours, the more equipped you’ll be to have that conversation. It also helps to practice talking about money with your loved ones, as preparation for talking with a recruiter or hiring manager.
Assess your social media accounts
A 2017 survey by Career Builder found that 70 percent of employers look at an applicant’s social media accounts—and 54 percent have eliminated a candidate from consideration based on something they found there. Setting your accounts to private while you’re job searching can serve as a handy shortcut, but it’s also a good reminder to assess your day-to-day posts anyway.
Organize the files you need
Consolidating various résumés, cover letter formats, headshots, credentials, and/or licenses into one easy-to-access drive can save you so much time and headache in the long run. When I was searching for a new job earlier this year, I kept one Google Drive file with two kinds of résumés—one with live hyperlinks, and a minimally-formatted option for printing—as well as article clips I was particularly proud of. You’re going to need these assets over and over again, so dedicating one space for them to live digitally will give you peace of mind as you begin filling out applications.
