6 Resolutions That Will Land You a Job in 2015

6 Resolutions That Will Land You a Job in 20156 Resolutions That Will Land You a Job in 2015If youll be searching for a job in 2015, dont just apply the same old tired job search advice about expanding your network, improving your social media presence and cleaning up yourrsum. Those things matter,of course, but theyre hardly revolutionary. Instead, here are six New Years resolutions to truly kick off your search from a position of strength1. Go for quality over quantity in your job applications. You might be tempted to apply to as many jobs as possible, figuring that doing so will increase your odds of being called for an interview. But in practice, this usually means that youll end up rsum-blasting sending out tons of applications without customizing yourrsumand titelbild letter to the particular openings youre applying for. Employers can tellwhen youre submitting the same generic application youve submitted to dozens of other places, and you have a far lower chance of catching th eir eyes.Send out fewer applications, and spend time customizing each. Write cover letters that are specific to each job youre applying for, and ensure that yourrsumhighlights speak directly to the qualifications beingsought. If your application package is identical every time you send it out, thats a sign that you need to be more targeted in your approach.2. Reach out to past managers and co-workers who loved your work. Strangely, when people think about their networks, they often think about family and friends but not the people in the best position to vouch for their work past colleagues. If you havent recently reached out to past managers and co-workers who thought highly of you, now is the time. Get back in touch, let them know youre searching and ask for leads, advice, connections or whatever else might be useful. After all, theyre the people best positioned to champion your work.3. Write better cover letters. If youre like most job seekers, your cover letter is, well, bland a nd pretty boring. It likely doesnt do much more than summarize the experience thats already listed on yourrsum. Using a whole page of your application to merely repeat the contents of the other pages is doing yourself a serious disservice.Your cover letter should add new information to your candidacy, such as personal traits, work habits and why youre genuinely interested in the job. And importantly, it should be heavily customized to the particular opening youre applying for. Dont send the same letter for each job you apply for. 4. Learn from past mistakes.Effectively job searching isnt just about getting a job offer its about identifying jobs where youll excel and be happy and avoiding the ones where you wont. If youve ended up in jobs that werent quite right for you in the past, there were probably signs you overlooked during the hiring process.Avoid making similar mistakes in the future by reflecting on what red flags you ignored in the pastsuch as an unpleasant interviewer or a culture that didnt feel like a fit and vowing to heed warning signs thistime around. 5. Stop agonizing about when or whether youll hear back from an employer. One of the worst parts of job hunting is sitting around and wondering when youll hear back from an employer after you interview or submit an application, and trying to read into every tiny sign from an employer.Do yourself a favor, and vow to move on mentally after applying or interviewing. Tell yourself you didnt get the job so that youre not sitting around agonizing about why you havent heard anything, and let it be a pleasant surprise if they do contact you. This approach wont hurt your chances, and it will make you a whole lot happier in the meantime. 6. Help another job seeker. If you spot a job opening that looks perfect for a friend, pass it along. Or if you have a talented contact whos applying at a company where you know the hiring manager, reach out and put in a good word.Finding ways to help other job seekers isnt just a kind thing to do itll also make you feel good, pay forward any help youve received yourself and heres the self-interested part put you front and center on the radar screen of people in your network, which can only help in the long-run.Alison Greenwrites the popularAsk a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search and management issues. Shes the author of How to Get a Job Secrets of a Hiring Manager, co-author of Managing to Change the World The Nonprofit Managers Guide to Getting Results and the former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management.