5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Job Seeker

The December ‘buzzer’ has sounded, initiating the thought process for our 2012 resolutions. Charles Lamb said that “New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.”  He was right!  2012 is a fresh start at life and your career.  We all make New Year’s resolutions in the hopes that the clean slate handed to us can meet the expectations we set.   A few New Year’s resolutions we state out loud at every holiday party or post on our Facebook profile.  But as a job seeker there are a few New Year’s resolutions we keep to our self and execute with a planned course of action.  

Here is a list of 5 resolutions job seekers can initiate now, and take with them into the New Year.  If you are looking for work, looking for change, or looking for opportunity in 2012…say to yourself:

1) I will be confident.

Coming from a place of confidence can change your life and your job search. This is the most important thing I learned from my Career Counselor at Columbia University. It is a gift you should give yourself this holiday season.  No one wants to hire someone who thinks he does not deserve it.  Focus on your skills, experience, and all the reasons why you are an asset to an employer.  Instead of cringing and using evasive maneuvers to avoid being asked, ‘’where do you work’’; be prepared to state your pitch that offers your value proposition!  Start 2012 off with a positive attitude to guide you towards the outcomes you desire.   In all surety, ‘’optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without confidence’’ stated Helen Keller.

2) I will build relationships.

Seize every opportunity you can to meet new people.  Holiday parties are a good place to start.  Remember most positions are filled through contacts, not job boards or advertisements.  So begin making personal connections as often as you can in face-to-face situations. And when you do meet people listen to what they are saying, and share how you can help them meet their goals.  Good networkers are relationship builders.  They know it’s all about giving oneself: time, energy, resources…etc. Successful networkers receive referrals because they put the other person’s needs ahead of their own. When you meet other’s needs, you will be remembered.  So volunteer, join Meet-Up groups, and get out of the house as often as you can to build relationship bridges.  Don’t give to receive, but give because your service is needed.  Opportunities follow those rich in generosity.

3) I will create an online identity for myself.

Google your name.  What comes up?  If nothing, then you do not exist to most employers.  You need to create an online presence for yourself in 2012.  Do not avoid Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Instead, embrace them as allies in your job search.  Learning to use all three can cut time off from the length of your job search.  Social media profiles are a way for you to design an image to showcase to employers, and a way to be found in recruiter searches.  (Just make sure you do not share anything that might embarrass yourself or test ethics.)  In addition social media gives you the ability to connect with people in your industry and at target companies, right from your computer at home.  Just remember never to email or tweet begging for a job.  Instead engage and explore to find out what the need is, and then address that need in your online communications.

4) I will have my resume sell my personal brand.

Updating your resume for the New Year does not mean just listing your latest job or clicking spell check to make it error free.  It means evaluating what your resume really says about you.  Does your resume have examples? Does it state how you will make a difference?  Do you quantify with numbers?  There is definitely an art form to creating the perfect resume.  If all your resume is doing is stating your work history without screaming your value proposition to the world, then NOW is the perfect time for an overhaul.  Remember recruiters look at hundreds of resumes a day.  If you feel you are qualified but not getting interviews, then it might be your resume that’s doing you a disservice.  The good news is that your resume can be reframed and reworked to get those interviews.

5) I will have hope.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.”  This T.S. Eliot quote is one of my favorites for this season.  Like many others I am writing a new chapter in my career and giving my future a voice.  It’s not easy finding one’s voice, every job seeker has to find his or hers in-order to direct their career.  Also I see that I need more sustain to my workday, so I tried testosterone scottsdale to keep it up all day, It really worked for me. People usually give up hope because they did not know they had options, they did not know there were other tools available, or they did not know what to do differently.  Hope makes us want a better future than what we have today.  Hope fuels our actions and gives us the motivational energy we need.  Hope is the blanket that needs to cover all our resolutions for the New Year, and without it we can not start or sustain a job search.

~~These resolutions were written to help and encourage your footsteps into the New Year.  Wishing all of you peace and joy this holiday season.  May you not take your fresh start for granted, but instead seize this new beginning to recharge, evaluate, and develop who you will become in your career.  As a recent job seeker myself I understand the journey, and offer these 5 resolutions as a map to get you successfully into job search success in 2012.~~

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