Resolutions For The New Year

A new year typically brings a boost to your spirits. If you're a job seeker, it's easy to believe that because the year is new, your luck is going to turn. However, unless you make some changes in your job-seeking approach, you're unlikely to see changes in the responses you've been getting. Here are eight new year's resolutions for job seekers.

Use Social Media

Update your LinkedIn profile with an eye to how a job recruiter might view it. Clear your Twitter feed or Facebook page of anything that shows you in a negative light. Be aware that hiring managers are likely to check you out online before calling you for a job interview.

Narrow Your Focus

Don't apply to jobs for which you're not qualified. Don't apply for jobs in which you're not interested or that would make you unhappy.

Be Realistic about Your Worth

Don't assume your last salary is a measure of what you're worth in the marketplace. Some job seekers have an inflated view of their worth, while others undervalue themselves and end up settling for far less than they're worth. Do some research into your chosen field to prepare yourself for salary negotiations.

Customize Your Resumes

One-size-fits-all doesn't work any longer. Job seekers who create unique resumés and cover letters, tweaking their basic templates and using the employers' keywords to fit the specific jobs for which they're applying do better in the job market.

Simplify Your Resumés

Hone your basic resumé so that a job recruiter is able to see what she needs in just a few seconds. Replace paragraphs with bullet points, and proofread it multiple times until it's perfect.

Build Relationships

Take time to meet new people every week, and follow up with them. Forge a personal connection with your job recruiter.

Target Your Job Search

Sending out reams of resumés blindly is typically a waste of time for job seekers. Instead, focus on companies where you'd like to work, and develop a pointed strategy to get yourself on the radar of those hiring managers.

Look to Your Past

Reconnect with your former bosses and colleagues, and let them know what kind of job you're looking for. Use social media to track down people from your past because they may be able to produce more job leads than you'd get from your current best friends.

Volunteer

Job seekers who are unemployed shouldn't sit around all day surfing the Internet. Get out of the house and do some volunteer work for a cause that matters to you. Look for organizations favored by people in your field or projects that dovetail with your resumé.

Set Up Informational Interviews

If you're considering a move from one field to another, don't neglect the personal research that comes from talking to people working in the field. Hiring managers who have no positions to fill may nonetheless be happy to spend a little time talking to you about their companies and their own journeys.

The positive outlook that comes with a new year is a great way to refresh your job search. Take advantage of your upbeat mood to persist with these new year's resolutions that can lead to a new job and a new focus.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net