The New Year is a great time to charge forward with new ideas and commitments.  So, if you’ve been in a job search for a while, now is a great time to gear up with a fresh start and IGNITE your search!

Review and evaluate your existing plan and activities. Here are some questions to ask in assessing what is working and what is not:

• What is your job target? Are you clearly conveying this to others and on your résumé?
• Have you gotten feedback from others about the strength of your career documents – résumé, cover letter, LinkedIn profile?
• Are you getting calls for interviews? Are they for the right job target?
• Have you had many interviews but no offers? Why?
• Are you actively networking? Are you establishing quality relationships?
• Do you know how to reach out to new contacts (appropriately) on LinkedIn?
• Are you using a variety of methods to search for your new job or only using online job boards?
• Do you have colleagues who will give you honest feedback and support?

Then, create a new plan that ignites your search based on what you have learned in your assessment. The most important step is to treat your search as a “job” with goals and target dates that will keep you moving forward:

• Be sure to have a “to do” list that is translated into manageable weekly and monthly goals that are realistic and that push you forward
• Keep your goals POSTED where you can see them every day!
• Use an organized system to track your contacts, companies you’ve interviewed with, and the status of anything to do with your search.  (One FREE resource for tracking this info can be found with www.jibberjobber.com).

Use this opportunity to step back and recharge. A little reflection and organization will go a long way in setting things in motion. Here’s to a happy, healthy, and successful new year!