New Year, New Job for You; NTI Says Now’s Right Time for Job Search
You have eaten all the cookies, watched all the latest shows on Netflix, partied like it was 1999, and now, reluctantly you are ready to resume your job search in 2022.
Don’t turn the TV back on now or go to the fridge for leftover eggnog. It is time to get back to the business of finding a job.
“This is usually a slow time of the year,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s chief operating officer. “People are busy with the holiday celebrations and are spending time with their family or friends. It changes, though, when the credit card bills come in.”
You don’t have to wait for that. In fact, you shouldn’t wait for the mail you are dreading to see show up in the mailbox. The time is now to get started or get back on track from where you left off in 2019.
The first step should be to set new goals or renew the old ones, deciding on your job search.
“This is important,” said Hubbard. “The goals you had in 2021 might not have worked out for you and need to be changed or maybe just need a little more time for them to be realized. Either way, you need to be honest with yourself and see if they are indeed reachable. After that, you can set or reset your strategy for 2020.”
First, you should be to review your resume whether you are starting or continuing an existing job search. Make sure it is updated, error-free and ready to go. If you are resuming your search you might want to look at it again with fresh eyes after taking some time off from your job search.
Another good step for the new year is to start a journal to track where you are in your job hunt. This can also give you a way to see who has been connecting with you and what the results have been. If there is a company you had contact with and you really want to work there, you want to make sure you are reminding yourself to keep checking their website for job openings. That can happen early in the new year as people change jobs and new opportunities arise.
Todd Cherches, the CEO and co-founder of BigBlueGumball, an executive coaching firm, said in a Monster.com article, that job seeker should use the “SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time orientated)” method with their job search, and keep track on how the search is going in a journal.
“If your significant other said, ‘How was work today? What would you say?” said Cherches, on Monster.com. “What made it good or great or not so good? The importance is that five minutes in the beginning and five minutes at the end of the day to plan and to reflect.”
Whether you are starting or restarting your job search, the same approach should be taken. After your resume is set, you want to make sure you are placing it in key areas to attract attention. You don’t want to be working hard and sending it to places that won’t be a place for you to work.
“You also want to make sure you are networking,” said Hubbard. “It was important to do that during the holidays and you need to continue to do that. Make your family and friends work for you in your job hunt. Don’t be afraid or leery of telling people you are looking for a job. In general, people love helping people get jobs, and chances are, they have been in the same position.”
Well, it’s now time to get started if you already haven’t done so.
(NTI helps Americans with disabilities find jobs working in remote call centers. When you sign up for NTI@Home, you receive free job training, and job placement services. Register at www.ntiathome.org.)