Preparing for A New Role in 2012

For many industries, January and February are the quietest times of the year. This is not so for recruitment. Not only do career-focused New Year’s Resolutions create movement between roles, companies are also often keen to fill positions before the tax year ends in March.

For a successful job hunt, it’s vital for candidates to invest some time before they start to prepare for it. It’s no good to start filling in applications before you’ve done things like contacting your preferred referees to ask their permission or making sure your CV is right up to date. Taking the time to do these, as well as putting together the key experience and skill points you want to include in your covering letters, will save a lot of time in the long run.

And it’s not just your referees, your CV and your covering letter that needs to be prepared anymore. The growth of online and social recruiting has opened many doors for candidates, but it has also meant that they have a whole new arena to maintain. Candidates who are planning on starting a job hunt in the New Year need to put in some serious time ensuring that their online presences are maintained and appropriate. So much of job hunting now takes place online that it’s vital for candidates to keep their profiles up to date. If they don’t, they run the risk of being looked over for their ideal position.

It’s not just profiles on dedicated career networks such as LinkedIn and Talent Direct – the best candidates will also remember to cast an eye over those profiles that are not designed solely to be seen by potential employers. Networks such as Facebook and Twitter can be pitfalls for candidates when they aren’t aware of what is publicly visible. A little pruning of these online profiles to ensure that the photos and updates that are accessible show the candidate in their best light is really important. Remember, recent studies have shown that up to 33% of employers have decided not to offer a candidate a job based on the content on their social media profiles.

What advice would you give to candidates or employers on preparing for a new role? We’ve started a forum thread here - we’d love you to share your wisdom.