2020 month-by-month job search guide
With the help of career consultant Dean Lingrado, we’ve created a brief calendar of job-search activities for 2020.
January: Dust off the resume. It’s the No. 1 tool you’ll need to find a job so don’t let it sit idle for years. Chances are you’ll forget some of your prior accomplishments so make sure you update your resume each time you score a noteworthy victory on the job.
February: Sending Valentines to all your peers might be a little creepy but there is no reason you shouldn’t drop a quick email to some people you’ve worked with or for in the past. February is a great month to reconnect with your peers in the hopes that one day, if you need their recommendation, they won’t have to dig back seven years to remember who you are.
March: Do a little spring cleaning and get rid of some of the dead weight at the office. It sounds silly but you’ve been carrying around some of the same files, desk toys, books and shoes for years. If you can do some decluttering now, you’ll be able to make a less dramatic exit when you finally do decide to leave.
April: Spend April cultivating new contacts. Take a close look at your LinkedIn profile and start connecting with some friends of friends. If nothing else, you may find some of the items they share to be helpful with your current and future situation.
May: Make sure you have at least one decent suit for interviews. You never know when an opportunity will become available. Sometimes jobs are filled in a hurry and you may be called in to interview for the position within a matter of days. It’s always helpful to have that one go-to suit in the closet.
June: Take some time off for yourself and assess where you are and where you want to go. Take a day or two to go somewhere where you’ll find some peace and quiet. Make a list of your goals and see if you are accomplishing them. If not, you’ll have a renewed sense of purpose.
July: See what’s out there. Since most employees are limited to the scope of their own job, they often don’t realize what other exciting projects they could be working on and the money they could make when doing so. There’s nothing wrong with talking to others in similar positions to find out what they do and, if they’re willing to share, how much money they make.
August: Go back to school. Sign up for at least one class or seminar to sharpen your skills for your current position or learn something new that may be helpful for one a job may pursue in the future.
September: Brush up on your interviewing skills. If you’re not a great public speaker or feel uncomfortable in one-on-one situations, you shouldn’t expect to excel at a job interview without some practice. Meet up with a friend and go over some of the basic interview questions.
October: Embrace a piece of new technology. Find out if there is a device or an app that you’re not using that may help you. Take a look at the job ads in your field and see some of the technological requirements. If you have no clue what those ads are listing, it’s time to enter the new millennium.
November: Refine your presence on social media. Get rid of all the old photos from college – you know, the ones where your roommates drew horrible things on your face and arms with a black permanent marker? Those should be the first to go. Then make sure you clean up the posts where you badmouth an employer or a client or even say something negative about your job. Those are the types of things that recruiters look for when considering candidates.
December: December is a great time to cultivate contacts. Go ahead and send a holiday greeting to former co-workers, professors and anyone else who has had an impact on your career. Even if they’ll never be a direct reference, it’s nice to spread some cheer during the holidays.