New Year's Resolutions for Job Searches

Here are some thoughts from Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA career center at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University, for improving job search efforts in 2008:

The biggest mistake people make in undertaking a job search is to underestimate the amount of time it takes. Finding a job is a big job. Not only do you need to allocate time to the process, you also need to develop a plan and monitor your progress against that plan. Great to make a new year's resolution to make a change but doing something about it requires careful planning and execution.

Define an overall plan - what type of job are you looking, what industry is likely to have that type of position, which companies do you most want to work for

Define and implement a networking plan - identify everyone you know who might be able to help you, conduct information interviews, develop specific strategies to get to know more about the companies you are most interested in and to identify contacts within those organizations, set a goal and strive to meet that networking goal each week, remember to offer something in return

Review your resume to be sure it is accomplishment focused not job responsibility focused, it should not read like a job description, focus on specific, measurable accomplishments, have someone else (preferably several someones) review it to ensure that it is error free

Practice writing cover letters until you are good at relating your experience to their needs, never submit a resume without a cover letter

Identify industry events to attend to meet key players and to learn more

Thoroughly research companies of interest so you can present yourself as a knowledgeable and well-prepared candidate

If possible do some practice interviews and solicit feedback to improve how you sell yourself, ask friends or family members who may interview on the job, ask the career center at your alma mater, etc. There is always room for improvement.

Just as you can't resolve to lose weight but never start the diet or exercise, you can't resolve to get a new job without developing and executing a specific plan and investing a significant amount of effort. Most jobs aren't filled from newspaper ads or online postings but through networking so it is critical to get out there to meet people. Common mistakes to correct for the new year:

Make sure the resume and cover letter are flawless, spelling and grammatical errors will eliminate you from consideration

Do not send a resume without a cover letter

Do not spend the majority of your job search time cruising job posting sites online, time is better spent networking and researching companies

Don't skip the planning and jump to execution, this needs to be a strategic, coordinated and focused effort

Doing the same thing doesn't lead to different results - polish the resume, practice interviewing, research the companies, give yourself every advantage as you try to sell yourself