It’s First Quarter and that means everyone is back to work after staggered schedules of personal time off and holiday vacations. It also means a new round of hiring is about to start for many industries. Whether you are in the midst of an active job search or embarking on a more passive search, the New Year is the time to really start zeroing in on your job search goals for the new year.
The Trend Toward Hiring in the New Year
After the holiday hiring wave comes the end-of-the-year lull. But early January begins a new cycle of hiring. Brand new year, brand new goals, brand new budgets, brand new team members. According to Monster.com, most hiring is done is January, February, September and October. The beginning of the year is the time new projects are funded and the course for the entire work year is set in motion. That means there is often a need to identify key personnel that will oversee those projects and help to guide the meeting of those goals.
How to Prepare Yourself
Preparation will always play an important role in your job search strategy. Identify which companies you will target at the start of the year by looking at their earnings reports for the first 3 quarters of last year and pay attention to any changing of the guard going into the last quarter. Pull recent press releases, project announcements and product releases. Stay on top of what is happening at each of your target companies and get a sense for where you fit into the new plans.
Make sure your online branding and your paper branding communicate a clear, consistent message of your value. And keep that message in mind when you are talking to people at your target companies via email, social media, on the phone or in person. Not comfortable promoting yourself? Read SCC article, “Self-Promotion is Not a Deadly Sin.”
Use your knowledge of recent company news to update and shape your resume. You already know resumes should have angles. You may have to reword your resume and emphasize the outcomes of certain relevant accomplishments. But make sure your resume makes you look like a good enough fit for the companies’ functional needs to land you an interview. Not sure how to do that? You may benefit from a professionally written resume.
Finally, think about getting a little more aggressive about reaching out to key personnel in the company. See what connections you can build with people who are already working with the company. Good luck.