New year's resolutions for the job-hunter in you!

The New Year is the time for making resolutions eg I will 1 stone by the end of next week, I will never smoke another cigarette, I will visit Aunty Ethel even though she compares me unfavourably to darling Cousin Timmy, I will learn to speak fluent Cantonese.

Time to get real.

Making resolutions that you can't possibly keep (or don't really want to) isn't good for your health or your career.

Make some resolutions that will have an impact on your job hunt and feel good about yourself into the bargain!

And I just happen to have some really good ideas lined up for you!

1 "I will lose 1 stone by the end of next week" becomes "I will get my jobhunting skills in shape"

Whether you are changing jobs, chaning careers or starting on your career for the first time, you've made a good start by getting yourself to this point in the article! Hopefully you have tried the Passport function and the "What are you like?" personality test. And there are plenty more books and websites out there that can help you.

Websites

• www.yourcreativefuture.org.uk - Your Creative future
• www.bigwideworld.com - Careers advice and more
• www.careerszone.co.uk - Does what it says on the label
• www.workthing.com - The Guardian's job site
• www.worktrain.gov.uk - The Government's job site

Books

• The Career guide for Creative and Unconventional People ISBN 1-58008-075-8 - Exercises and information to help you find the right job for you.
• The Inside Career Guides - Published by the Industrial Society (covering Advertising, Marketing and PR, Banking and the City, Broadcasting and the Media, The Environment, Informations and Communications Technology, Retailing, Sport, Travel and Tourism.)
• Trotmans careers guides - Very wide range covering getting in and getting on check out www.trotmans.co.uk
  

2 "Visiting Aunty Ethel" becomes "Revisiting your CV"

You know that you are supposed to tailor your CV to every job right? Good. But you need a useful, comprehensive record of your work experience and skills to work with when you are making all those impressive applications. So revisiting your cv is never a bad idea.

Tweaking tips

1. Check that the spelling is right - bad spelling makes a bad first impression
2. Check that it's up to date - has anything changed since your last application? Have you learned any new skills? Have you had any new jobs? Have you moved house? Make sure those changes are included on your CV.
3. Check that you have some good quality paper ready to print out your CV and covering letter on. You would be amazed how a Personnel officer with 100s of applications to wade through will discard anything printed on scruffy paper!
   

3 "Learning Cantonese" becomes "Doing something new"

Yes, I too hated CV hacks, you know, those awful people who just learn to play the banjo to impress at their next interview.

But they had a point. If you could employ someone who had a life as opposed to someone who thinks a good time is counting beans in their garden shed I think you'd choose the former. Remember that when people look at your cv they aren't just looking for someone who can "do the job", but someone they would like to work with.

So if your "Other activities" section looks a little thin why not take up jogging, swimming, an evening class, a musical instrument or join a web community

4 "Learning Cantonese" also becomes "I will make applications"

That might sound strange in the context of a careers site, but it's not. There is no point sitting and wishing for a new job or career because it's not going to leap out and smack you in the face. You have to get out there and make applications.

a) Buy the papers that are relevant to the area you want to get into - see our handy table below.

The Guardian

• Monday: Creative, media, new media, PR, sales and marketing, secretarial
• Tuesday: Education (higher and lower, TEFL)
• Wednesday: Public sector
• Thursday: Engineering, IT, science
• Saturday: Repeats of Monday and Thursday, with graduate section
• Sunday: IT, education, public sector
• The Independent
  Monday: IT, science, engineering
• Tuesday: Media, marketing, PR and sales
• Wednesday: Accountancy, financial, legal, secretarial
• Thursday: Education, general, graduate, public sector
• Sunday: 'Smart Moves' supplement - repeat of the week

The Times

• Monday: Graduate section, IT
• Tuesday: Business to business, legal
• Wednesday: Education, secretarial
• Thursday: 'First Exec' - managerial
• Friday: Marketing, media sales
• Sunday: Education, finance, health, public sector

The Telegraph

• Tuesday: General
• Thursday: General
• Sunday: Repeat of the week

b) Pinpoint companies you want to work for, ring up their personnel officer and send off your cv.

I won't lie. You will probably be graced with a letter saying "We will keep your cv on file"

but

don't lose heart!

There are four benefits to sending out speculative applications.

Firstly, you may apply at just the right time for a vacancy not yet advertised.
Secondly, they almost always do keep your details on file and will contact you if anything appropriate comes up.
Thirdly, if you are interested in that company and apply for other jobs there it will stand you in good stead, it will show that you really are interested in that company and give you an edge over other applicants. And finally, it will help you to practice your CV and cover writing letter skills.

4. "I will never smoke another cigarette" stays the same.

Sorry about that.

by Katie Streten