Ring In the New

Published December 27, 2009

If your hopes for the New Year center on finding a job as opposed to shedding pounds or vices you're in good company.

After all, who cares about an expanding waistline when the savings account, employment prospects and optimism are all shrinking? (Well, OK, your physician and spouse might care. And woe is you if you outgrow your interview suit!)

But where to begin? Whether you need to reinvigorate a job search or kick off a new one, the following resolutions will help you gain traction and get results.

Take stock of your selling points. "Compile a self-inventory of the skills you enjoy most and do best and then use this knowledge to focus your job search," says Richard N. Bolles, author of "The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide" (Ten Speed Press, 2009) and the all-time bestselling job-search manual "What Color is Your Parachute?" updated by Ten Speed Press for 2010. A self-inventory helps you define the type of position you want when networking and puts you on track to find your dream job instead of settling.

Keep a journal. University of Texas research found that people who jot down their thoughts for 30 minutes a day find jobs faster, says Duncan Mathison, author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market" (FT Press, 2009). Diarists who process feelings of anger, disappointment and fear show greater promise in interviews, he adds, and they perfect on paper how to articulate their worth.

Use a journal simply for venting and for specific exercises. "Write down a list of questions you're most concerned about being asked in an interview" and practice responses, Mathison says.

Be a cultivator, not a hunter-gatherer. "Most people prepare their résumés and then go online and hunt for jobs," Mathison says. "You're better off planting seeds to harvest job opportunities a month or two later."

Mmake a list of 200 employers that might hire people with your skills. Then, when networking, "Don't ask, 'Do you know of any jobs out there?' Ask, 'Do you know of any people who can give me insight into these employers and particularly individuals there who would manage my function?'" Mathison recommends. While it helps to give your network a list to work with, you must take the initiative to contact hiring managers on your own.

Make the job-hunt a full-time occupation. Spend six to eight hours a day at it and impose some structure. Every morning, use your self-inventory as a guide for developing leads, Bolles advises. Refer to employment classified advertising in your local newspaper to determine what employers in your area may be hiring in general. An old-fashioned phone book may seem obsolete when it comes to ordering pizza, but it can come in handy for identifying categories of employers whose needs align with your skills and experience.

Spend your afternoons in meetings. Set up appointments in advance or just knock on doors of companies that interest you, whether they are known to have a vacancy or not, Bolles advises. Bolles believes this method actually is among one of the top five ways to land a job, with a 47 percent success rate, according to his research. But it works best when approaching smaller, nimbler companies.

Leverage the Internet. Google search results are your "new résumé," Bolles says, so find out what they reveal about you. Clean up what you can, such as Facebook pics of you, um, partying with enthusiasm. Develop a positive Internet presence by creating a polished LinkedIn profile or starting a blog. "If your blog roams all over the meadows and hills and dales, it might not be particularly useful in your job search," Bolles says, "but if you restrict it to your area of expertise, you often can commend yourself to a prospective employer."

Dress for success. "No one out of work should ever leave the house looking scruffy," Bolles says. You never know whom you'll run into who would recommend you were it not for your bed head and pajama bottoms.

- Written By Dawn Klingensmith