Are you prepared for your job search in 2023?

If you’re ready for a change and you’re planning on finding a new role, there’s a few simple tips that can make this process a lot easier. Firstly, ask yourself why you’re looking for a new role, establish what exactly you’re looking for, highlight your strengths, and target your relevant roles.

The first thing you need to do, is figure out why you’re looking for a new role, this varies for different people. You may be bored with your current role, and you may need a new challenge. Some people may be simply over they space they operate in, and need a change of scenery and content. Others may want to move for career development in order to further progress their career, or they may be simply unhappy.

Once you establish the reason you’re looking for a new role, this will often pave the way in regard to what exactly you’re looking for. It is important you firstly identify in which area or space you want to work in. Originally, I was in the project space in central government, which is where I was introduced to recruitment and instantly took a liking to it. Once you have confirmed your area, then you can look into which organisations offer relevant positions and which don’t. It’s important to identify organisations you are genuinely interested in and can see yourself working in, as well as the ones you’d like to avoid. Many people look to move roles in order to step up in terms of seniority. While this can seem like the best option, it is sometimes better to gain further experience in your current role before stepping up. Another option is to move sideways, to a similar role, however, it offers better career progression opportunity. Lastly, one of the major variables, money. As money is clearly a key factor, it is best not to move just for a bit more money. It is crucial to evaluate career progression opportunities, job satisfaction and enjoyment.

When you are searching for a new job, put your best foot forward. Identify what your good at, don’t exaggerate, but make sure your strengths are emphasized. Highlight these in your CV and make sure your CV and LinkedIn reflect your skills and what you’re looking for in a role. If you are looking for your next role to be in Policy, there’s no point focusing on your Administration experience. It’s best to highlight your policy experience and what you can offer in this space.

Lastly, searching for new roles can take up precious time. To enhance your chances of finding good roles, target your relevant roles. This is a combination of what you want to do, the organisations you’re interested in, and what you’re good at. Find a mix of these, or a criterion. Then you can focus your energy on searching for roles that match your criteria.