7 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job in the New Year

A couple of weeks ago, while lounging about in a turkey-induced stupor, I had a vision in which everyone knew how best to present themselves to have the best shot at getting the best jobs. It made me feel so good that I jotted down some tips that can help make the vision of getting a better job a reality for many people.

1. Post your resume online:
   This may seem obvious by now, but often enough we see great applicants who have little to no online presence. We expect people who will fit in with our digital agency to display a certain amount of digital savvy. If you’re not interested in running your own website, you can easily put your information online through LinkedIn and other sites.
    
2. Cross-linking:
   After you get your information online, it’s a good idea to connect it to other relevant information. If you have a website, you should link to it from relevant social media outlets and vice versa. This linking not only helps recruiters know more about you but also helps search engines associate information appropriately.
    
3. Blog:
   If you are a niche expert, let the world know. You might just blog your way into a job. If you have the time, setting up an editorial calendar and sticking to it can be a great way to build up reputation in the community. Alternatively, you can find a blog with an established following and start writing there.  
    
4. Keep your resume/site/blog up to date:
   Undoubtedly you know someone who started a blog and walked away from it, and you know the ghost town feeling such abandoned sites have. The same is true for resumes. If it’s obvious that your posted resume hasn’t been updated in years, anyone who stumbles upon it is going to assume that you must not be looking for work.
    
5. Don’t be the cobbler whose children have no shoes:
   Present yourself in the best light. More than a few good designers have lamented to us that they’re simply too busy to update their portfolio. This is a problem that screams to be sorted out. Taking the time to ensure that your resume reads well and your portfolio exemplifies all your skills can make a world of difference.
    
6. Patience:
   It’s not just a Guns N’ Roses song. The holidays are notoriously slow, take this time to lay the groundwork for the post-holiday hiring that is likely to occur.
    
7. Learn:
   If you haven’t filled up all your time with networking and blogging, you can always learn more, right? Even if you don’t decide to go back to school, there are plenty of online learning resources that can help you make your resume shine.

There is always more you can do, but these are things you simply have to do if you’re going to attract the attention of recruiters and get them to call you, instead of the other way around.