Many people, for a variety of reasons, decide to start looking for a new role in January. It might be that the time off over the festive season has given you the chance to take stock of your career, and you may have decided that you want to move on. Alternatively, it may be your New Year’s resolution to secure a better job. Finally, January can be a depressing month for all sorts of reasons, and you may see a new career challenge as a way of lifting the January blues.
If you have decided to look for a new job this January, then:
Think about what roles you would like to apply for. What do you want to do next with your career? Do you want a similar role with another company; or a more senior, more varied or more responsible role in the same business sector? Alternatively, do you want to change career completely, perhaps to an area for which you believe you have the right transferable skills?
Conduct a comprehensive review of your CV. Remember that the two or three pages of your CV are all that a recruiter can use when deciding whether to invite you for an interview. Make sure that your CV fully explains your career to date. The document should demonstrate what skills and experience you have gained from your previous roles, and what qualifications you hold. Get someone else to review your CV – maybe first ask a family member or a friend to check that it reads right, and that there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Then ask a recruitment professional to give their own opinion on the way your CV is structured.
Start looking for roles. Search internet job boards, the websites of companies in your chosen business sector and the jobs pages of newspapers and trade publications. Get in touch with your recruitment consultant to let them know you are ‘on the market’ once again.
Practise your interview technique. Research the company and the roles you apply for as thoroughly as possible. Think about some questions you might be asked, and rehearse your answers.
Think about what you will wear to interview. Consider if you need to buy an interview suit – if your line of work usually allows you to dress down, or wear a uniform, then you may not have any suitable interview clothes.
