January is one of the most opportune times for new job seekers. The start of a new year ushers in optimism for fresh starts and new beginnings, as people aspire to live up to their New Year’s resolutions.

Searching for a new job takes time and energy and requires some thought and planning about what you want to do next. It is important to do your homework and contacting a trusted recruitment consultant can be a great way to start and get up-to-date job insight into the current circumstances for your preferred market.

Now is the time to update your CV and LinkedIn profile, start speaking with people in your network to gather leads, find a recruitment consultant that recruits with your area of specialism, work on your elevator pitch, and put together an action plan to help you achieve your goals (handy hint, we’ve started one for you at the bottom of this page).

Update Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is a great platform to network and get noticed. Create or update your LinkedIn profile and CV to reflect your most current job. Your most recent job should include the most detail and take up the most space, as that is what recruiters and hiring managers will be most interested in. Make sure you include all qualifications, degrees, accreditations, certifications, and licenses required for your field.

It's a good idea to have one generalist CV to start with, and then specifically tailor your CV to each job you apply for making sure it addresses the requirements outlined in the job description.

To help your CV stand out make sure that you use the common terms, terminology, and abbreviations that people use in your sector of expertise, as well as using words, phrases and work responsibilities that match what has been outlined in the job advert. This will help your CV to get picked up if automated systems are in place which scan for certain words and phrases.

Seek the help and expertise of a seasoned Recruitment Agency

Look for recruitment consultants who specialise in your field. Having experienced, knowledgeable and well-connected recruitment consultants working on your behalf can make all the difference in your job search.  Recruitment consultants often have deep relationships with companies and hiring managers and usually know about new positions before anyone else. Many companies prefer not to directly advertise certain jobs and rely on recruiters to conduct covert searches for the appropriate candidates.

Recruitment consultants usually have insider information about hiring managers and corporate culture. Through them you’ll gain insight into what the hiring managers really want from a prospective hire, what you should avoid saying and what you could do to curry favour with your future boss. Recruitment consultants can help smooth out any bumps in the road, advocate for you and deal with the awkward negotiating process.

Work on your Elevator Pitch

Think of an elevator pitch like a TV commercial.  Something that quickly and effectively communicates your message and sells you in one minute or less.

You need to be able to describe yourself, your job and current responsibilities, highlighting a huge win and why you are the best fit for the job. Visualise yourself in a lift with a senior executive at a company you’d like to work for. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to seize the opportunity and quickly sell yourself before they exit?

Here is a checklist of activities to help get you started.

• Search job boards, career pages of target companies and LinkedIn. Try to send out a certain number of CV’s every day, remembering to tailor your CV to each job listing.
• Contact a recruitment consultant and give as much detail as you can about your experience, your circumstances, and the sort of role you’re after.
• Make yourself known on LinkedIn by posting content and commenting on others’ postings.
• Prepare and practice your elevator pitch.
• Research companies that would be a natural progression for you to go next in your career. Investigate them to determine if they are doing well or not. Check out the company’s career page for its job listings. Ask your recruitment consultant if they have a history of working with that particular business.
• Research on LinkedIn to find decision-makers, hiring managers, human resources, or talent acquisition professionals.
• Clean up your social media footprint. Hiring managers, recruiters and internal talent teams may do their own research around your social media postings, so make sure you have removed anything embarrassing, disrespectful or not in keeping with how you would wish to represent yourself today!
• Send out emails to people you’ve worked with in the past, business associates and anyone you’ve met who could potentially let you know about a job lead or recommend you to a key insider at a company you’d like to join.

Good luck and please do reach out to our teams, putting people into jobs they love is our thing!