Job Seekers New Year’s Resolutions

Especially when searching for a job, the New Year can be a time for introspection and evaluation of personal change. Many people resolve to get in shape, eat healthier, or improve relationships. Still others resolve to meet personal, financial or business goals.

I suspect that many readers of this blog have New Years’ resolutions that include finding a new or better job.

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Let’s face it, 2009 was a rotten year for finding a new job – the toughest job market in our lifetime for most readers. Because of this, 2009 was also a year that turned many job seekers assumptions of job search around 180 degrees, as realization set in that the old rules no longer worked today.

To help job seekers start the New Year, I assembled a list of New Year’s resolutions that candidates might consider changing in their job search for the coming year:

1. I won’t give up (10 Ways To Stay Motivated During Your Job Search)

2. I’ll stop spamming my network, and instead learn how to leverage it more effectively…that means no more blast emails of my resume (Guerrilla Job Search Tactics)

3. I’ll send a personalized Thank You note after each interaction with a hiring company (Thank You - Make An Impact in 5 Minutes)

4. I’ll start a ResuBlog (You Don't Have To Be Shakespeare To Write A ResuBlog)

5. I’ll increase my network connections, and learn how to do more than just collect business cards or Linkedin names (Make Your Network Links Strong Like Bull)

6. I’ll create a resume that addresses all 4 audiences’ needs (Your Resume's 4 Audiences)

7. I’ll start looking for problems to solve, instead of just looking for a job (Would You Stop Looking For A Job Already?)

8. I’ll start a project plan for my job search, instead of merely tracking the resumes I’ve sent

9. I’ll create employer value statements for my resume (Do You Create Employer Value?)

10. I’ll start working with recruiters, rather than expecting that recruiters work for me. (Inside Track On Recruiters)

11. I won’t use the same resume twice

12. I’ll start attending networking events that take me out of my comfort zone, where I’m the only one like me in the room (Network Wedding Crashers - Be The Only One Like You In The Room)

13. My resume will describe exactly why I’m uniquely qualified to solve the hiring managers’ specific problems (3 Things Your Next Employer Will Search For)

14. I’ll provide value to my network contacts, before I ask for someone’s help (Achieve Enlightenment Through Networking Karma)

15. I’ll define myself as a subject matter expert, even if most of my day-to-day responsibilities have been more general in nature (Subject Matter Experts Rule!)

16. I’ll remember that my resume is one of thousands that the target company receives, so differentiation is critical (Resume Search Optimization)

17. I’ll give my reader a clear reason to read my emails, because I’ll remember that my email is just one of hundreds that my contact receives per day

18. I’ll remember that my voicemail is one of hundreds per day, so I need to give the listener a reason to listen to it and then call back

19. I’ll show my reader what’s in it for them, instead of writing my resume to show “what’s in it for me”

20. I won’t depend on my network to find a job, but instead use my network as just another channel of opportunities

21. I’ll stop writing my resume as an autobiography (Do You Recognize The Early Warning Signs Of An Egocentric Resume?)

22. I’ll start a program of Online Reputation Management (Online Reputation Management)

23. I’ll start describing what I accomplished, rather than what my responsibilities were. (How To Rise Above Resume Hell)

24. I’ll stop blaming the system, and accept that it’s dysfunctional. Instead I’ll develop strategies to make a broken system work for me…rather than against me.

25. I’ll stop writing cover letters, instead customizing my resume (Is Your Cover Letter An Obsolete And Ineffective Tradition?)

Some of my own personal goals for 2010 include revamping this blog and website, offering a wider range of content about job search. Other goals include finding additional ways to help even more job seekers find their next job – the right job. Readers will start seeing these changes in the coming months.

Readers … what’s on your list of job seekers New Years’ Resolutions?

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Source: http://reCareered.blogspot.com

Related Articles:
Who's Hiring - Top employers week of 12-28-09
A Job Seekers Letter To Santa

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Become a fan of reCareered on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chicago-IL/reCareered/21126045429
Join Career Change Central on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/1800872