Can we agree now, neither next Monday nor the Monday after are "Blue Monday, believed by experts to be the most depressing day of the year".
— The Media Blog (@TheMediaTweets) January 14, 2016
We hear the same every year about whether it is or is not Blue Monday. Does such a thing even exist?
Certainly at JobFox UK the rate of visitors during that week sky-rockets as people return to work and feel the ache of January.
In the main, these are people who already would have felt some malaise at work before the Christmas break. Coming back to work in the dark and the cold no doubt sharpens the mind enough to kick-start the action of hunting.
In my book, Marketing Yourself in the age of Digital, I outline the ways in which we can manoeuvre and empower ourselves to a point where we reach the tipping point and effect change in our lives.
I’ve pulled out my top tips from the book to move you closer to that dream job and leave last year’s job way behind:
Start Your Jobsearch
It sounds trite but most people dream of their next fulfilling role without ever even going near a jobsearch website. Start now. Explore roles related to your current role and take a good look at the jobs market as it stands today.
Get Your CV Ready
If you saw your dream job tomorrow is your CV prepared enough to send it across with only minor adjustments? No? Then it’s not ready. Your CV must be a living, breathing document that reflects your up-to-now experience.
Ask a Friend
The people around you have experience of the labour market and job hunting so make sure you ask around. Ask friends and colleagues for support and a few words of advice.
Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn has realised that it can make its living by connecting candidates to recruiters. Complete your profile and make sure that you bio header is easily searchable by recruiters:
Mortgage sales professional
Digital content executive
Social media strategist
Project manager in the engineering sector
Make sure you connect with people within your industry who, in turn, can connect you to others and enrich your network. Explore the LinkedIn Groups and start conversations with influencers who can enable you to move forward.
Keep Your Cool
Looking for work can feel like a full-time job so don’t lose your head. Make a plan and stick to it. If your plan is to do one hour of job search on a Tuesday night then put that in your phone as a reminder and stick to it.
Creating and sticking to a methodology might be as simple as this:
Tuesday Night
1 hour and a half of job-search, highlighting all appropriate vacancies.
Wednesday Night
Review last night’s appropriate vacancies, place them in order of preference and apply to the best of the bunch during tomorrow’s lunch-break.
Follow the steps and move towards your dream job. Don’t be overwhelmed by the weight of the challenge. Take your time and take the journey in baby-steps if you have to.
Carl Gobey is the author of Marketing Yourself in the Age of Digital; a guidebook for jobhunters who are seeking to take control of their lives.
The book is available via the free Kindle app, available for Android and iphone.
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