New Year, New Me, New Job?

There are two kinds of people in this world, people who succumb to a fairy light infestation and a tree with all of the trimmings by the 1st of November, and regular human beings. Christmas creeps up on us sooner and sooner each year; Mariah was belting out ‘All I Want for Christmas’ on the office radio before we even had time to put pumpkins out. I am not a scrooge, I love Christmas, but you must wonder - how soon is too soon to start celebrating? And it got me thinking, if two months of preparation can be justified for one day of celebration then you can totally justify the same time in job hunting for your first day in a new role. New year new you? Try new decade. Yeah. Let that one sink in.

Get ahead of your competition

The new year gives us the excuse we need to take that risk and make the big changes that we have been considering for a long time. The things that we want to do to better ourselves and our circumstances. Where do want to see yourself in 3-5 years? Is your current role helping you reach that goal? Whether you’re looking for progression or a complete career change, if you’re hoping to kickstart your new year with a new role – now is the time to look. You could be settling into your new role nicely by the time that anyone else has even thought to look.

Unless you’re working in retail or hospitality, most workplaces experience a quiet patch over the Christmas period – leaving a window of opportunity for new starters to undergo any onboarding or training programs necessary. If you look now you will be ready and rearing to go by the time the new year targets have been launched.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful… so spend your time indoors productively

Give yourself time to prepare and be ready for anything. It’s best to consider your opportunities whilst you are comfortable in your current role; it will stop you from settling for anything less than something to look forward to. Prep. Prep. Prep. Interview prep. CV prep. Research prep. Consider which elements of a new role you might not have had much exposure to. Read up on it. Practice it. Teach yourself, because you have the time to. Giving yourself plenty of time for preparation will soften any impulsive decision making and prevent you from accepting low ball offers.

How long will it take to find a new role?

How long is a piece of string? Let’s face it: it’s probably going to take longer than you think. How long is your notice period? How long do you think you will spend interviewing? The search itself can take an immeasurable amount of time. It will vary from role to role and candidate to candidate. Some hiring processes have multiple interview stages and others not so much. Before you even get to interview, you have a few (potentially time-consuming) tasks to complete:

Market research – see what’s out there already, what are people asking for? Is your salary expectation reasonable? Look out for benefits or key skills that make roles unique.
Updating your CV and cover letter – you should tailor them to key elements of the job descriptions you have read.
Make/Update your LinkedIn - it’s pretty easy to fill once you’ve already spruced up your CV. Why not send out some connection requests or sign up to local networking events? LinkedIn is also a fantastic place to stay in the loop with industry news.
Acquire the help of a recruitment consultant – recruitment consultants are experts in their industry, well networked and are often the first to be informed of new and upcoming roles. Trust us, it will save you a lot of time and leg work.
Online/offline job searching and general networking.
Applying for jobs and waiting for responses.
Interview prep – much of this your consultant will help you with. Recruitment consultants maintain amicable relationships with the clients they work with, which means they gain access to exclusive roles that you won’t find on job search sites and, more importantly, an insight to the company culture.

Anticipate second (and third) interviews and possible assessments – that way, either it won’t be as long as you think or (at the very least) you’ll be prepared. Then you just need to wait out your notice period…

No time like the present

Christmas is a fantastic time of year for social and networking events. Attending your prospective employer’s Christmas gathering ahead of joining will offer you a fantastic opportunity to team build. Get yourself, your face and your personality out there. If you haven’t got a new role lined up, treat all mixers as informal interviews with prospective employers. Look out for industry events, graduate/postgrad/alumni events, job fares, mixers and meetups. Chances are, someone at these events will know an employer looking for someone like you.

For many of us, the new year marks a fresh start of some sort, it inspires a change in us that we have probably been considering for the best part of six months. Whether that’s trying veganism, committing to the gym, or finding a new role. To this, we say why wait? If you want to change your life, don’t wait for the new year, the aftermath of Christmas and don’t wait until Monday. Start now. What’s stopping you? Job hunting is a lengthier process than most give credit to. Don’t begin your sparkling new decade with stress and frustration. Give yourself a new year worth looking forward to.

If you’re considering a career change, take a sneak peek at our latest roles here.