It doesn’t matter if you are considering a transition inside your company or a move to a new company. There are tried and true steps you should take to kick off the new year and get your career moving in the right direction!

 

When you know what is most important to you, it helps to identify your next move.

Take time to re-evaluate and write down your values, the skills you most enjoy using, the successes you’ve had and what you want to do next.

Next, begin reviewing job postings to see if you have the skills and experience necessary for the positions you’re interested in. You may not have everything, few do, but if you have more than 60 percent of the requirements, you’re in good shape.

 

If you don’t already know decision-makers in your company, now is a good time to meet them, either formally or informally. Also, meet with people who hold the job you are interested in so you can learn about what it takes to succeed in the role.

These informational meetings will help you identify any gaps in skills or knowledge plus you now have a connection to someone who can serve as an advocate.

It’s up to you to keep in touch with all these people throughout the coming months so they’ll keep you in mind for new opportunities that may develop.

 

If you determine that movement within your current company is nonexistent or very slow, you may need to begin exploring options with competitors or companies that do similar work.

To start that process, make a list of companies that could potentially hire you for the role you are interested in. Then look for events where you can network with employees from these companies.

Also watch for news about new contracts, buyouts, mergers and promotions. These changes can mean potential new opportunities for you.

 

With your new goals defined, update your LinkedIn profile, resume and pitch and align them with your desired new role. All three of these need to include the same message.

You want to make sure to highlight the keywords mentioned in the job descriptions you read. Pay special attention to processes and procedures, technology and other hard skills that recruiters will search for.

 

Learn everything you possibly can about your ideal job. Your mission is to become a subject matter expert or specialist.

Allocate time to:

Regularly read industry publications and news related to your area of interest.

Attend industry conferences, Meetups and other events that give you access to industry experts

Find out how people in this industry/role keep up with trends

Keep in touch with all the new people you meet.

 

Research has found that within the first 90 days, almost a third of new employees leave a job because of these top four reasons:

- The role wasn’t what they expected

- There was an incident or bad experience

- They didn’t like the company culture

- They simply changed their minds.

Once you’ve secured a new job, you want to keep it. To do this, make sure you’ve thoroughly vetted the company, your new manager and the role before accepting the offer. Both the employer and the new employee can take the blame for allowing this to happen. But, ultimately, it is up to you to reduce the risk when taking a new job.

 

Don’t expect immediate results. It takes time to build new contacts and get the word out. Be persistent and don’t lose hope!

 

Happy job hunting!