End-of-year tasks to boost your job search

Q. I paused my job search until January — my heart’s just not in it, but will be focused come the new year. What should I be doing now that’s not job search related but year-end related?

A. Good for you for still moving the needle forward while realizing you’re not in the job search/ace the interview mindset. You can do a few things: Polish your resume. Look at your year-end performance review or most recent performance review if it wasn’t done this month. What accomplishments are you particularly proud of? What can you quantify — if you started managing a budget, what’s the amount? Do a year-in-review to include these items on your resume.

Set up your job search for efficiency. Set up job alerts online so opportunities land in your inbox. (This way, when it’s January it’ll be go-time even though they’ll start arriving now. It’s all good!) Create a spreadsheet or decide how you’ll organize your job search for networking purposes, such as who you’ll contact and how many people you’ll reach out to each week, and more.

Clean out your inbox! Get organized. Although this isn’t exactly related to the job search, there’s something to be said about starting the new year with a clean slate and new energy.

Q. I’ve been working around the clock to make ends meet. My full-time job and then at night I work in retail at the mall. I’m very committed to it and really enjoy it! My hours will be cut back after the holidays, and even though I want to continue, they think I want to end because it will be severely reduced. I think I’ll kind of miss it (even though I’m exhausted). What should I do?

A. Definitely talk to your boss at the mall. Your boss isn’t a mindreader and this applies to full-time work as well. Communicate what’s on your mind and what you’re looking for, but of course know before the conversation how you want it to go. Will you be happy with significantly reduced hours and how will that impact your income? Get specific in finding out how many hours they have in mind each week and what the schedule looks like.

Also, career-wise, ask your boss how you can improve, what skills you can further develop, and mention your aspirations. In particular, if you’re thinking about leveraging this as a stepping stone into a new full-time role to leave your current job, talk to your boss in retail about it.

Good luck and above all, please be sure to rest. It’s challenging juggling two demanding jobs. And even though it sounds financially motivating and you enjoy it, make sure you don’t burn out. Take time for yourself; if the side gig continues through the new year, perhaps take some time off to take a breath before you ramp up with juggling both jobs again.

 

Vicki Salemi is a career expert, former corporate recruiter, author, consultant, speaker, and career coach. Send your questions to hello@vickisalemi.com/Tribune News Service

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