With the holidays coming up and all the activity that surrounds it, the last thing you may be thinking is preparing for the New Year. Busy with shopping, cooking, and entertaining for others, you may be neglecting the most important person on your list – yourself! It may be getting cold outside but now is a good time to light a fire under your job search. Have you reached out to your contacts recently? Signed up to new social networks? Taken the time to think about all you hope to achieve in the coming year? Well, let’s get organized! As nothing helps secure a good feeling during the end of the year rush as knowing you have secured your career prospects.

Making a list and checking it twice.

A great way to begin a list is to take inventory of all you accomplished in the past year, good and bad, to give yourself healthy perspective. This could be related to your job performance, your business leads, your interactions with others, or meeting personal and professional goals. A written list provides a visual of where you are making strides, where you need improvement, and to find common motivators. As you narrow down what is important to you in this juncture of your life, it will become your own personal mission statement.

Additionally, to provide yourself with a complete picture of your strengths, values and interests assess your personality type. It reveals what you may already know, but is a nice reminder of the type of work environment you may be best suited for. Try it and see. How did you score? Did it surprise you? With this analysis, you can better strategize where to focus your efforts.

Though the holidays are upon us, stay motivated in your job search by:

• Setting up a job search agent with your targeted role
• Reevaluate your resume and update accordingly
• Prepare your references
• Make a note of upcoming hiring trends and targeted business intelligence

And, as you acquaint yourself further with social networking sites and contact building, keep in mind a few often overlooked details:

• Keep your voicemail message mature, clear and concise
• Create an email address that is better suited to your job search
• Check your public profile – is it current, accurate and professional
• Think twice about uploading that wild holiday party photo or other unflattering details that may be an area of concern for an employer

In the hiring cycle, just as with the seasons, this dormant time period is critical for anticipated renewal. Now is the perfect time to organize your tools and resources so you will be sure to be ready in the New Year.

From our family to yours, we wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season!