Improve Your Job Search Before The New Year With These Tips

By Michelle Wanjiku
As much as the year is coming to an end, you still have time to set yourself up for job-search success in the coming year. And just because the holidays are coming up, doesn’t mean that you should completely stop working towards achieving career growth.
Here are a few things you can do to ensure that come next year, you are well prepared for your job search.
1. Practice your elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is basically your answer to the question “what do you do?”
As a job seeker, you need to be able to answer this question clearly and within a short period of time. A great elevator pitch could make you memorable to the people you meet and they will remember you when they are looking to hire someone who does what you do or hears of a position similar to what you do.
2. Get a free CV review
In order to be ready for job hunting next year, you need to have a good professional CV. That is why it’s important for you to get your CV reviewed for free in order to find out if it is okay or if you need to re-write it.
Having a professional from Corporate Staffing Services look at your CV is a good way to get free feedback on whether your CV can help you get jobs or not.
3. Invest in your career success
If you want to find a new job, change careers or get a promotion at work next year, you need to do more in order to improve your chances.
The job market is getting more competitive and as such, you need to do more in order to distinguish yourself from everyone else.
What is preventing you from getting a job? Is it your interview skills, your CV or is it your lack of soft skills?
As a job seeker or someone who wants to grow their career, you need to be willing to work on the things that are keeping you from achieving your goals.
This is where improving your soft skills comes in. Taking short courses will help boost your chances of getting a job.
Having your CV and cover letter written by a professional will help increase your chances of getting interviews. If you don’t do well in interviews, taking a mock interview coaching session will help improve your skills and boost your chances of passing interviews.
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4. Increase your industry know-how
If you have a lot of free time during the holidays, you can use it to gain more work-related knowledge. You can read books or sign up for short courses related to your career. For example, as an accountant, you can take the practical accounting skills training.
The more knowledgeable you are about your industry and your job, the more likely you are to be hired or promoted.
5. Build or update your portfolio
You need to put together a good portfolio of everything you have done to show employers that you have the capabilities to do the job well.
Having a portfolio is good because it basically shows the employer that not only do you have the knowledge to do the job but you are also able to apply this knowledge. This greatly increases your chances of getting the job
For example, if you are looking for a graphic design job, you are more likely to get the job if you have good work samples that show your capabilities as opposed to just having a CV that states what you have done.
6. Stay in the know
You cannot get a job if you do not know there is an opening. One of the key aspects of being able to get a job or a promotion is, knowing when vacancies are available.
It is important that you check job websites such as Career Point Kenya and subscribe to the daily email alerts so that you are notified when new job opportunities come up.
That way, you will not miss out on opportunities and will also be among the first people to apply for the jobs when they are advertised.
In Conclusion,
A lot goes into ensuring you are able to get a job, however, these are some of the basic things that you need to look into if you want to get a job next year. Do not just sit and wait for next year in order to start preparing for job hunting. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail, the earlier you do it the better.
Michelle is a Communication Officer/Digital Marketer at Career Point Kenya. Email michelle@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke