How to Reinvigorate Your Job Search for 2023

Secrets from a Staffing Director

Does your job search feel like Groundhog Day? You wake up and apply to jobs day in and day out, but your efforts aren’t yielding any different results. Are you ready to get reinvigorated? In this article, we’ve tapped the brain of Josh Schiff, a staffing team leader with twelve years of experience helping people find jobs. He shares his secrets so that you can be successful in finding a satisfying new role.

The first quarter is traditionally a time when hiring ramps up, according to Equiliem Director of Professional Staffing, Josh Schiff. “Budgets have been set, and targets and goals are established. So, hiring managers are moving forward with hiring for the new year. The demand for new talent means greater opportunities, but if you’re serious about finding a new opportunity, it’s a good time to be more aggressive than normal.” He explains, “There is always competition for any role, and you must differentiate yourself.”

Reflect on Your Accomplishments, Focus Your New Desire

Schiff recommends grabbing a notebook and taking a moment to reflect on your career over the past year. “It’s easy when you have a job to move from one project or accomplishment to another without measuring the impact. The beginning of the year is a great time to step back and think about accomplishments and the new responsibilities you’ve taken on during the previous year.”

Schiff considers updating accomplishments and responsibilities as giving your resume a ‘qualitative upgrade.’ Examples include your role as a team lead on that special project, directing cost reduction initiatives, or the training you led so that other departments could ease into the new system. He says that if you are in a sales or production role, you’ll also want to focus on the ‘quantitative upgrade.’ “The beginning of the year is a great time to update your number story. How much business did you close last year, or what margin did you add to the bottom line? It is important to document these items and bring your resume and LinkedIn profile up to date.”

Identify Goals and Gaps

With your shiny, new list of achievements in front of you, you might see indicators for potential new opportunities. For example, maybe you’ve been leading from within but not in a recognized leadership role. Maybe you see skills that could cross over to another industry. Or maybe a bigger company would provide you with the potential to be even more successful. Be ready to articulate what it is that you want in your next step.

If you feel somewhat deflated about your accomplishment list, it’s time to do a soul search and be clear about what kind of work situation you desire. The important thing is to shake out the things at the intersection of what you enjoy and what you are good at doing. If your experience isn’t exactly in the lane you’d like to be in, you can speak to your aptitude and passion. It also wouldn’t hurt to enroll in a course to develop skills or join a professional group to gain knowledge and connections.

Create a Plan and Schedule Time to Work Your Plan

It’s been said that finding a job is a full-time job, but what if you’re already working full-time? You’ll need to create a plan to make your search as effective as possible and schedule dedicated time. It does take effort. Can you carve out 30 minutes at the beginning or end of your day? You’ll need to set aside the time and commit to working on the plan to reach your goals.

Schiff says, “It’s just like setting a goal to go to the gym. You likely won’t magically see the results if you don’t get to the gym regularly. So, let’s say you commit to the thirty minutes. You will want to use the time as effectively as possible to reach your goal. Leverage your allotted workout time with strategic activity. If you only have 20 or 30 minutes, think high-intensity interval training. If you can set aside 60 or 90 minutes daily, think more moderate intensity training.”

To Maximize Your Time, Go to Contacts Who Are Actively Seeking

If you want to get hired sooner rather than later, you’ll want to connect with people in hiring mode; they have a priority project and budget to bring you on board without delay. These kinds of opportunities tend to come up quickly and be filled fast, so it makes sense to leverage available technology so that you can apply quickly and not miss out.

To do this, post your resume and profile everywhere, including Indeed, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, Monster, Google for Jobs, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor Jobs, Snag, LinkUp, and any niche boards that align, for example, professional associations. You can often sign up for specific alerts matching jobs aligning with your chosen filters and keywords.

Schiff says, “People often ask me if they should pay for premium services on job boards. I don’t think it is a must-have, especially in a candidate-driven market, but it is a nice-to-have that surely doesn’t hurt. If you aren’t able to pay up, don’t worry about it. Recruiters are looking for you, and if you create visibility by flagging that you are open and widely posting, you can be found.”

How to Connect with Hiring Managers: Target and Tailor

Many times, you can see the hiring manager or recruiter who posted the job on the job board. Yes, according to Schiff, you should absolutely reach out to them with a personal, friendly note that includes a two or three-sentence summary of the value you can deliver for the company or opportunity and what differentiates you.

“As long as your resume is a fit for the opportunity and you’ve tailored your cover letter or message, you should feel free to connect with recruiters and hiring professionals via social media and job boards,” Schiff says. He adds that you can also reach out with a friendly, conversational check-in, “Hope all is well and you’re off to a prosperous start to the year…’

You May Have to Kiss a Few Frogs; Keep Moving Forward

Schiff likes to manage candidate expectations with a reality check, “Most of your outreach activities will not be fruitful. Some will not even be acknowledged, so that’s like kissing a frog.”

Schiff says that once you are clear about your value and are focused on the opportunities that fit you, keep sending those messages and emails and applying for roles. “It might take ten outreaches per day or fifty. A big part of success is consistency and resolution. Stick with it, and you will build momentum that will carry you forward.”