


For individuals who want to take the next step in their career, January is a great time to double down on their efforts, and jump-start their job search. By this time, the holidays will be over, and both job hunters and employers will be ready to start the new year by seizing new opportunities.


Moran offered these five tips for landing your dream job in 2014:

Focus. Determine what your career goals are before beginning the application process. While many people may think they can do everything, flexibility is not the right answer when determining job-search goals. Having targeted, focused and specific job goals will help ensure a successful search process.

Identify key professional groups and events. Networking is key in today's competitive environment. Take the time to locate events that are attended by individuals in your ideal profession. Once there, present yourself in a professional manner, have talking points ready and know how to pitch yourself in a way that highlights your skills and accomplishments.

Revamp your résumé. Tailor résumés to specific positions, and include keywords from the actual job posting. Your accomplishments and skills should match the requirements set in the job description.

Clean up your online presence. Understand the differences among the various social-media sites, and use them appropriately. Refrain from posting questionable content, remove any inappropriate or explicit content, and avoid posting content that is too personal. For a professional site like LinkedIn, be active and post engaging, thought-provoking content that is relevant to your desired position or industry.

Recruit help. A staffing firm is a great place to start your job search. Many companies utilize staffing firms as a way to funnel job postings and weed through the mass of applicants. In addition, a recruiter will help locate positions that align with applicants' goals and skills, thus doing a lot of the legwork for job seekers.

Image: Flickr, slightly everything

This article originally published at BusinessNewsDaily here

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