Take 2016 Head-On With These 6 New Year Career Resolutions Part 2

4. Time for refreshing resumes, cover letters and work samples.

Okay, so you’ve sat down and re-evaluated your career. You know staying in your current job is untenable over the long run, you understand what sort of management style brings out the best in you and you know what sort of a role you want to take on. So now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of preparation.

Update your resume, practise writing a few cover letters, collate new work samples, add new referees and check your current ones are still contactable via the contact details you have listed. Get pro-active about it!

Don’t forget about mentioning transferrable skills either.

"These transferable skills, acquired during any activity- volunteer positions, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies, sports - can be applicable to one's next job. By adding transferable skills to a resume, employers get a better understanding and broader picture of who they are hiring, as well as the interests, values and experiences that the candidate brings to the table,” explained Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker & author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring”.

5. Don’t forget updating your social media presence.

If you have LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media accounts, now is the time to clean them up and make them presentable.

Keep in mind the differences between social sites. Whereas on LinkedIn you are expected to post more career related content, on Facebook almost anything goes. Whatever social media you use, be aware potential employers are increasingly looking at social sites when making hiring decisions, so keep your online presence clean and professional so you don’t sabotage your job search efforts.

It also may be wise to rethink your use of social media. If you are a professional serious about making a career for yourself in your field then a personal Facebook page may not be a wise idea as into the future new technologies will analyse your social media accounts with the possibility of making the information available to interested parties such as businesses and the government.

Raytheon, the American defence contractor has already developed such new software capable of predicating people’s future behaviour from mining social networking site data. Their creation is called Rapid Information Overlay Technology (RIOT) and it is also capable of tracking people’s movements.

6. Get Networking

Don’t just wait for January to start building up your contact network. Many industries hold events bringing together professionals during the Christmas season so get researching and find out if there is an industry event near you. If you can build up some new, industry relevant contacts who have pull inside their sector by the New Year then you’re already leaps and bounds ahead of many other jobseekers.

“Chances are, nobody but nobody is going to pick you out of a crowd and offer you your dream job, not even knowing what it is. So, you have to jump up, pursue, ask, demand and make the first move yourself,” advised James McLauchlin, founder of the non-profit Hero Initiative.

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