When you get down to it, New Year's Eve/Day is really an artificial demarcation point. Yes, we put up the new calendars, go to parties, make new or renew old resolutions (I am so going to stick to them this year!), but don't we do that sort of thing most days of the year? Who hasn't had one of those calendars with either trivia, cartoons, this day in history, where pages are torn off every day and not just at the end of the year when you are wearing a pointed hat? Do you only go out socially (or sleep through midnight) on December 31st? Do you only resolve to get things done as the old year slips away? Didn't think so. (Tell me something, why do we never write the old month on a check but we always write the old year, at least once, during January?)
My point is that every day presents the opportunity to develop an action plan for the Job Search. It is not an activity that needs to be left to a month-end, quarter-end, or year-end while watching Dick Clark. I have already suggested that a Job Searcher (I am trying to have us all develop a brand identity here) should take an inventory of skills and weaknesses and then note what needs to be done to deal with the weaknesses and get the most out of your strengths.. Something else you might want to try would be to take an inventory of both what's holding you back from moving the job search along and/or what sources you have been using and what sources you should be using more and which ones have not been as fruitful as you had hoped (and why? Is it your approach or is it that the source really wasn't what it was cracked up to be?). Remember the suggestion that you keep copious notes about positions to which you applied, contacts you made, etc.? Here is exactly the point where such an exercise will pay dividends.
If you were in sales, you would have targets for how much business you'd want to get done or how much new business you would want to get started in a certain time frame, right? (This would especially apply if you worked on commission.) If you want to remain in sales or for any type of position, do the same thing for your job search. Borrowing from an introductory meeting I once had for a sales job, the break down for which you should strive should look like this: For networking, set goals for initial contacts (presumably via phone or email), initial and second face-to-face meetings, and closed deals. For job applications, I would suggest more aggressive numbers as the yield (applications which are likely to turn into first and even second meetings, never mind offers) is likely to be much lower.
Set a review schedule with someone you trust which may be a family member, spouse, mentor, former colleague, or possibly someone at an outplacement agency if you are taking part in such a service. I might even do this with more than one person. You will need the sanity check as if you are trending in the wrong direction (for you), each expansion of the effort will take you further away from a quick conclusion of your relationship with TJS.
The discipline which you develop with this effort will be of immeasurable value to you as you try and find time for everything else which is important to you. Faith, family, health, exercise, leisure pursuits, travel, whatever. You will need to have other things going on and flourishing in your life if you are to remain sane, especially if TJS is hanging around longer than expected.
There is no question that the start of the new calendar year can provide a timely jumping-off point for an expanded, vigorous, organized, cathartic Job Search. It will be incumbent upon the Job Searcher, though to maintain that momentum, realizing that there are many resources (some of which I hope have been gleaned from TJS's The Job Search) always at one's disposal.
Happy New Year to all. Please feel free to share anything from this space which you have found useful and do not hesitate to reach out to me if you think I can be of help.
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