Happy New Year, Happy New Career?

A New Year can often mean new starts for many of us, including a change in career. The New Year can be the perfect time to change jobs or invest in training. Positions can open up as people move on themselves, although this can mean more people are more actively looking January and February creating more competition.

We are not suggesting to hand your notice in straight away, changing careers requires effort and planning to make sure it’s the right move but with a few pointers, you’ll know how to construct your next career move and stand out from the rest of the candidates.

Change career for the right reasons

Sometimes we make changes without thinking it through properly, the same can happen with changing jobs, making a list of the reasons why will help, seeing the pros and cons written out in front of you can make decision making more realistic. Here are some examples of what to ask yourself:

• What are the things I least enjoy about my job?
• What do I like most about my job?
• What would I like from a different job, and could my current job meet these needs?
• Will it work financially?

If you don’t know why you want to leave you probably won’t be able to decide which path to take next.

Preparation

Before applying for any jobs, priority is updating your CV, keeping it simple but informative, no snazzy fonts but professional. Once you have the basics you can then tailor your CV  to relevant job positions. A paragraph at the top of your CV is the perfect opportunity to show some personality, showcase who you are and to give the recruiter some originality.

Once you have updated your CV it would be beneficial to familiarise yourself with different types of interview questions and what your answers maybe. Taking the time to go over your answers in this way will help especially if you get an interview at short notice. Also having your CV saved on your phone can mean you being one of the first to apply whilst casually browsing, this can show recruiters or employers that you are eager for the position.

Proactive

Don’t be worried if by the end of January you have only just got your CV and interview answers in order, you haven’t missed the boat! More than often roles get advertised in February and March so as long as you are applying in the first quarter you still have time to find your perfect job.

It is also worthwhile updating your LinkedIn profile as it can work both ways, great for you to discover companies that you would want to work with but also a great way for recruiters to find qualified candidates.

Starting the New Year with the prospect of a new career path ahead of you can seem daunting at times but here at PRS, the team can help and take the stress out of the job hunting, gives a call on 01938 501 445.

Take a look at the positions we have available to get you ahead of the game! These can be found here: https://permanent-recruitment-solutions.co.uk/vacancies/