23 New Year's Resolutions for Jobseekers in 2023

2023 is upon us and this is the perfect time to take charge of your career. Regardless of whether you are actively looking for a new job or not, here are 23 ideas for New Year's Resolutions that are guaranteed to make a big impact on any job search (whether it is planned or not).

As we begin the New Year, it's a great opportunity to take the time to reassess your career goals and create new resolutions. This is particularly true in 2023 as the experts all predict big economic changes and uncertainty to continue this year. We can all take steps to improve our careers and for many that process begins with looking for a new job or at least being ready to do so if needed.

Our team of professional career coaches and recruiters put together a list of the best career and jobsearch New Year's resolutions. Here are the top 23 to inspire your 2023 New Year's resolutions:

1 - Get Organized

Combine 2 goals into one high-impact New Year's resolution! Many people aim to get more organized in the New Year and you can do that with your job search. A smart jobseeker will take the time to put together the tools and time to make the most of their jobsearch.

Organizing your jobsearch can be as simple or detailed as needed. Pul together your contacts, your portfolio, the steps you have taken so far - whatever it is that you need to feel and be organized in your job search. Making organization part of your new year's resolution as a jobseeker sends a strong message regarding personal commitment and motivation to yourself and to the people that you interact with in 2023. Get organized and make your job search more effective this year!

2 - Set Goals

Setting goals for a job search is essential to making progress, and it's important to make them as specific and measurable as possible. This is because it makes it easier to track your progress and to identify what works and what doesn't. Make sure that you write down these goals so that you can refer back to them as your jobsearch continues in 2023.

During this process, it's also helpful to set points of celebration such as networking opportunities or landings on shift boards as well - successes come in many forms! Taking the time to set clear job search goals using job search tips allows us to stay focused, remain motivated and ultimately achieve our objectives faster. Remember that goal setting helps you keep your New Year’s resolution of finding that dream job!

3 - Be Realistic

As you look to make the most of your job search in 2023, it is important to set realistic expectations. You only have so much time in the day to make your dream a reality. To avoid burnout or becoming overwhelmed by the process, set realistic intentions about your goals and the time that you will put into your job search.

This is why the process of writing down your vision and the steps to get there is so important. Defining what you need to do when and how you will do it will make it easier for you to move forward consistently and stick with your 2023 New Year's resolutions. Goal setting is an important part of job searching - if done correctly, it can lead to more efficient use of your time and resources, increasing your chances of getting hired for a job you truly want.

4 - Think Short-term and Long-Term

The New Year is a time of hope for many. That hope is often about taking a step forward toward their bigger-picture goals. Think about your New Year's resolution in terms of the short-term and long-term. This is key for your job search in 2023 and for your overall career.

To do this, take stock of where you are right now. Not where you want to be, but where you are today. Next, think about where you want your career to be at the end of 2023 and beyond. Be as specific as possible in thinking about what you will get and where you will be when 2024 arrives. Now, write that down. This will enable you to see the gaps and what you can do to maneuver your jobsearch and career over the coming months.

5 - Research the Market

Make a resolution to research the market for your industry, profession, and current openings. This is essential in 2023 as much has changed for the jobseeker and careers in the past few years.

This is an important resolution even if you aren't actively looking for a new job in 2023. Why? Because it will help you to understand the value of your expertise, identify job search risks, and spot trends which can be incredibly helpful in setting goals for your overall career. Take proactive steps online and through your network to understand your profession, the industry, and the current market. This will help you to understand your worth, risk exposure and industry trends to make better decisions about your career and current job.

6 - Create a Professional Brand

As your career progresses, it becomes more important than ever to build a professional brand. This means knowing and building upon the things that make you different. This will create unique value for you in your career and in your jobsearch.

An effective professional brand is consistent in its message and timeless. This means defining specific things that make you unique, communicating those items, and selecting things that will not be dated.

Not sure what that should be? Dig deep and think about how you are different or how you can be different from others with similar backgrounds. Creating and living that professional brand will make you stand out from the competition and increase your chances of getting hired in 2023.

7 - Build or Update Your Resume

A new resume is no one's favorite resolution, but an important one for anyone looking to make a job change in 2023. Creating a resume that properly represents you and gives a strong message is the key to landing the job you want in the New Year.

In building your new resume, make sure that you think about building a resume that is optimized for the applicant tracking systems (ATS). Why? Over 70% of resumes are automatically rejected by these programs used by most employers to filter candidates. Anyone applying for jobs online or through traditional HR processes will encounter one of these systems in 2023.

A resume writer can help highlight your talents and create resume content that is more likely to get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) quickly and efficiently. Companies like The Contingent Plan have professional resume writers that can help you build an ATS-optimized resume that also connects with hiring managers in 2023.

8 - Create or Update Your Cover Letter

Writing a cover letter that stands out can be overwhelming with so much competition in the job market and the economic uncertainty of 2023. That being said, cover letter writing remains an important task for potential job seekers in this new year. To ensure success in 2023, make cover letter writing one of your New Year's Resolutions!

Invest the time in sharpening your cover letters--you never know who might be reading them. Though it may not carry as much weight as it once did, cover letters are still necessary and should not be overlooked when searching for a new job. Start strong with a cover letter that leaves a lasting impression and gives you the best chance to land an interview in this ever-evolving workplace.

9 - Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile

As we enter into the New Year, it is important to consider LinkedIn profile tips for making your job search process in 2023 more successful. LinkedIn profiles matter more than most people realize in their job search. This is because recruiters use the platform like a resume database to find candidates for their open jobs and people will look at your profile during the hiring process to evaluate you as a candidate. Moreover, the ATS and other HR programs will analyze your profile to evaluate your fit for the job before anyone looks at your resume.

One of the most important, and often underappreciated, job search-related New Year's resolutions is to update your LinkedIn profile. Take the time to go through every field on your profile and to complete it thoroughly. Add keywords, details, and information that conveys your current skills and goals. Do this with your audience in mind to ensure that the message connects with what you want to tell them in an interview. This action should be at the top of your list of new year's resolutions and could potentially make the difference between landing an opportunity or having it pass you by.

Not sure where to start or totally overwhelmed by LinkedIn? Companies like The Contingent Plan have professional profile writers that can optimize your profile for your current goals. Get help now and check this resolution off your list for 2023.

10 - Network

Creating a new year's resolution to network your way to a job in 2023 is a smart, strategic career move. A well-rounded professional network can be the key to job search success. It’s important not just to have a large number of contacts but to build real relationships with those who can help you get ahead.

Build a strategy to your networking to make the most of your efforts in the New Year. Not everyone will engage with you in your networking efforts but do so with the intention of building authentic relationships. You can network online, in person, or through a combination. Whatever works for you - just make sure that you do it consistently, professionally, and follow up with people. If so, you will definitely make huge strides toward your job search in 2023 and your overall career.

11 - Look at Job Boards

As job seekers prepare for their job searches in the new year, job boards remain an important tool to help find job postings, learn about companies, and conduct research. The most popular job boards for a job search in 2023 include Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and more. While job boards can be powerful tools in a successful job search strategy, job seekers need to be aware that they must be used carefully.

First and foremost, only about 11% of all jobs are filled through applications coming from a job board. That number may seem dismal, but it's the reality of the current market. It's not to say that you can't find a job through a job board, but that you need to use these platforms carefully. Most commercial job boards are aggregators. That means that employers will pay to post a job on one job board and it is pushed out to tons more job boards. These postings aren't pulled back. So you will see tons of old jobs on job boards. And, employers will see tons of applications to those jobs early because of the ease of applying online. This means the jobs may get closed well before they are taken off the job boards.

Instead, think about job boards as an effective research tool in your job search in 2023. Make the resolution to use job boards to find potential opportunities and to explore the possible, but take your search beyond the commercial boards. This means going direct to the companies where you want to work, networking, and interacting with recruiters to explore jobs that may advance your career.

12 - Build a List of Companies

Job boards alone are never enough. To get the job of your dreams, consider making a New Year's resolution focused on creating a list of target companies where you would like to work. This will help you to focus your efforts and to stay organized throughout your jobsearch.

This list should include places that you would love to work, that you want to learn about and places that you would never work. Also, consider identifying the competitors on this list. This will help you to expand your targets into organizations where you would be interested in working but may need to learn more about. This list will change constantly as your search evolves, but it will also help you to network effectively, to identify the right types of jobs, and to advance your career for the long term.

13 - Stay Focused

As we enter 2023, it is easy to set big goals for your job search and career. However, those big sights can easily cause distractions from what matters. The priority should be to maintain momentum throughout the year to achieve your career goals rather than to search for a job all year long.

Set the New Year's resolution in 2023 to stay focused on your career goals - not just a new job. This will enable you to remain centered on what matters and to ensure that your time searching for a job is effective. To do this, think about how each opportunity gets you toward your goal. If it doesn't then don't waste your time applying. Put the focus on quality and not quantity in 2023 to make the change you really want to see in the New Year!

14 - Apply for Jobs

Seems obvious, but for many people, they can get stuck in looking for a new job and not actually take the steps toward a new job. It could be that they are too busy in their current job or that they get overwhelmed by all of the postings online.

Whatever the reason, make the New Year's resolution in 2023 to actually apply for jobs. Set a number of applications as your target and go out and apply for those jobs. You may get rejected or even ghosted by the company that posted the job, but you will at least have a chance to make the change you want in 2023. And, once you get started applying, the next application gets easier and you are that much closer to your bigger career goals.

15 - Create a Pipeline of Opportunities

Applying for one job at a time is never enough. You also cannot wait in the current economy for the perfect job. Instead, you should make the New Year's resolution in 2023 to take charge of your career. This means creating a pipeline of opportunities so that you can pick from the best ones for you.

You can do this by applying to all of the jobs that could be a good fit for your career. Nothing and no one is perfect, so don't expect that from a job posting when you consider whether or not to apply. Focus on good enough so that you can hopefully get the interview. Use that interview process to qualify the potential job for your goals. It is much easier to walk away from a potential job if you have lots of opportunities percolating at a time.

16 - Follow-up on Applications

As job seekers reflect on their job search strategies as part of their New Year's resolutions, an important job search tip to keep in mind is to follow up on job applications. This is easier if you are tracking where you applied and what role you applied for.

Following up shows recruiters and hiring managers that you are dedicated and want the position. It also serves as a friendly reminder, especially because they are busy people who may be working on many things or job openings. Taking the initiative to follow up and checking in periodically not only demonstrates you are serious about getting the job, but that you are actually interested in this particular job at this company and that can make a huge difference in your application.

17 - Re-engage Your Network

People in your professional network are busy. Make the new year's resolution to consistently touch base with the people that matter the most in your career and keep them updated on your job search or at least the efforts that they helped you with.

This means taking the time to intentionally reconnect with people in your network throughout your job search and 2023. Take some time to refresh your contacts and make sure you stay in touch with those most instrumental in helping you get ahead. Send a quick message to provide an update or share some insights that you think they may appreciate. Keep it professional and focused and you will keep a strong network that wants to see you succeed in 2023.

18 - Practice Your Interviewing Skills

Make the New Year's resolution in 2023 to polish your interview skills. This will help you once you are in the job interview but also in networking for your job search.

You will want to be ready to articulate your professional brand and skills in a way that connects with your audience. This audience may vary depending on your career and goals. So, be ready with a few variations that you can adapt.

Also, prepare some answers to common questions. This exercise will also help you to better articulate your elevator pitch to your connections and people at your current organization so they can see you in the way that you want to be seen.

19 - Prepare to Negotiate

An important part of any job search is negotiating an offer that works for you. This means doing your research so that you know what the market pays and being creative in identifying all of the terms for the employment that make the job worth it for you. Employers expect this part of the offer process, so don't hesitate but start preparing for it. Make the New Year's resolution in 2023 to be ready to negotiate and to put your research to work in landing the right job for you.

20 - Build Your Skills

As the job market evolves, so must job seekers’ strategies and techniques for job hunting. Taking stock of your skillset and career goals is key in order to make an effective job search plan and land the job you want in 2023. While New Year's resolutions often involve personal growth, why not make it a goal to sharpen your professional self?

Invest the time now to research job search tips and build your job skills as our markets and industries continue to change. Doing this will set you apart from other job-seekers as you demonstrate that you're ready for the work ahead of you. As this new year begins, let’s make 2023 the year we empower ourselves with knowledge and tangible skills that will guarantee success both professionally and personally.

20 - Join a Professional Organization or Board

Joining a professional organization or board is an excellent job search tip and all-around career investment that you should consider making as one of your New Year's resolutions. Professional memberships give job seekers unique access to top job postings and industry leaders, so it's an opportunity to network with the people who could have a direct say in your job search success.

When researching organizations, look for active organizations that matter in your field. Think about how much time you have to give and whether you can actually make the membership or board seat worthwhile. You can also ask to try out the organization or board by attending a meeting or meeting with members before you decide to join. If it's a right fit, those connections and skills acquired from these opportunities build on personal career growth well past 2023 and create valuable knowledge stores that job seekers can draw on throughout their long-term job search journey.

21 - Contribute Your Skills

Make a New Year's resolution to contribute your skills to the community or organizations that you care about. It could be speaking, writing, events, or whatever you do best. Take that extra step to give back and you will also position yourself as a thought leader in your field.

Speaking or writing not for you? Consider volunteering your time for a project that enables you to gain skills while also supporting an organization that you care about. You don't have to get paid for something for it to have value in your career. So, get out there and find a way to sharpen your skills in 2023!

22-Stay Positive

Job searches can take time, a lot of time. It is essential to stay positive in this process to keep up your motivation and effectiveness in making the change. Make the resolution to be positive in your job search at every step in 2023. Look at mistakes or failures as lessons learned and apply those to move forward in your job search in 2023. This outlook will make a huge difference to your effectiveness because employers will see you as resilient and motivated. Create and stick with this positive mindset to achieve your 2023 career goals.

23-Ask for Help

People that had an employee referral for a job were 14x more likely to land the position. In many cases, this referral also resulted in an automatic interview. And, people that ask for help from their network or from professionals are also accountable to others. That means that they are likely to follow through on their resolutions and that they have the tools they need to reach their goals. So, make that resolution in 2023 and ask for help in your job search whenever possible to get the help and accountability that will advance your job search and career.

As we leave 2022 behind us and look toward the future, it’s important to reflect on what we can do better in our job search. Use this list of 23 new year’s resolutions for jobseekers as a guide to help you focus on your goals and stay motivated throughout 2023.

If you need some accountability or assistance to stick with resolutions, enter your information below to claim a free consult. Someone from our team of experienced career coaches and professional resume writers will be in touch to discuss your goals.