New Year New Job – What can you do now to prepare for your New Year’s job hunt?

Once the clock has struck midnight and we begin to shake off the festive period many people switch focus to finding a new job. Every year on January 1st resolutions are made and the market is flooded with new candidates making the competition pretty fierce. If you are likely to be among those seeking pastures new there are steps you can take now to put you ahead of the pack. By getting prepared over the next few weeks you can start the New Year in pole position and increase your chances of landing your dream role.

Here are six steps you can take now:

Know your reasons for leaving

Have you established the reasons you want to leave your current job? Have you discussed any of them with your manager? Is there scope to make positive changes or progress internally? These are all things you need to establish before you make the decision to move on. Once you are sure that moving on is the right decision and you know why, you will be able to make smart decisions on the type of role, company and work environment that suits you.

Talk to a recruiter

Speak to a specialist recruiter in your market to gauge the type of roles that are out there and available to your skills set. You can also get advice on a benchmark salary. Many employers will have already sounded out recruiters about upcoming roles and have plans to begin the recruitment process in the New Year. By speaking with recruiters now you can gain insight into the availability of roles and make preparations for applying when the time is right.

Stay open minded

Take a positive and flexible attitude to your search; listen to what opportunities are out there and stay open minded to companies and locations. You may have a pretty firm idea of what you want form your next job but it is important not to close doors to new opportunities. So many people we work with find exciting new career paths in companies, roles and locations they had not necessarily been considering at the outset of their job hunt.

Clean your online profile

Make sure your social media is job search ready. Studies have shown that 77% of employers will check an applicant’s social media profiles while 69% admitted that inappropriate behaviour/posts could dissuade them from considering a candidate. It is crucial that your online profiles show you in a good light - clean up Facebook, Instagram and Twitter if necessary, and ensure your personal email address is work appropriate.

You LinkedIn profile is very important - think of it as your online CV. Most employers will look you up online and use your LinkedIn profile alongside the CV you have provided to assess whether or not to ask you to interview for a job. Get your LinkedIn profile up to date and sign up to relevant job feeds and groups. Our five step guide to creating a winning LinkedIn profile should help.

Think about your future

Use the festive period to reflect over your career year to date; analyse your career milestones and achievements for interview purposes and put some goals in place for the future. Where do you want to be in two and five years, and what needs to happen to get there? This job move will shape the next period of your career and it is important that you make the right choices now.

January is a particularly busy time within the financial sector. The beginning of the financial year for most businesses falls in January or April so recruitment activity in the first three months of the year tends to be heightened. With new budget assigned, many businesses launch new projects and invest in expansion plans at this time of the year so a lot of interesting new roles become available. It’s an excellent time to be looking for a new challenge.

For a confidential discussion about career opportunities in the finance sector contact us here.