Want a Better Position in 2018? Here’s How to Succeed!

Every year, millions of workers say to themselves, “This is the year when I get a new job.” It’s certainly a commendable resolution to make, but it’s one that’s also difficult to follow through on. After all, transitioning to a new place of employment can be time-consuming, stressful, and more than a little intimidating.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to help improve your chances of landing a new job in 2018 and make the process easier on you. Whether you’re planning to go for a new position with your current employer or starting anew with a different company, here are a few strategies that you can implement:

Know Your Goals and Plan for Them

The plan you develop will depend on what you’re trying to achieve through a new position. Perhaps you’re looking for something that will serve as a stepping stone for something even bigger or maybe you’re searching for a job that fulfills you more. Or, like many people, you could just want to make more money. No matter what your reasons for moving up in the world, knowing your goals will help you get there more quickly.

Build a New Resume… from Scratch

Too many people think that dusting off their old resume and making a few changes will help them set the professional world on fire. Since your resume is often a reflection of your past work from a new perspective, this can be a big mistake. It’s much better if you develop entirely new content instead of attempting to spruce up what you’ve written in the past.

Don’t Wait for a Promotion – Ask for It!

So many people these days are hungry for a promotion, but they never even think about asking for one. Managers and owners love to see initiative and they will often create a position for a worthy candidate or move them into a temporary “halfway point” to test them out when they know a promotion will be coming up. Plus, higher-ups are often aware of positions long before they’re announced, so it never hurts to ask.

Prepare Yourself to Explain Anything that may come up on a Background Check

A new employer will likely run a background check on you once you apply for a job, and the same thing may happen with your current employer even when you’re being promoted to a new position. This is especially true when the position will be of a sensitive nature, so be sure that anything that pops up during a background check can be adequately explained.

Improve Your Skills

The best way to ensure a successful run at a better position or a better job is to not only hone the skills you already have, but to also develop new ones. Since today’s world is full of technology elements in most areas of business, concentrating on hardware and software skills – particularly ones that are needed in a desired position, of course – will help get you ahead.

Be Receptive to Various Opportunities

If you truly want to get ahead in business (and in life, generally), it’s important that you always keep your options open. While you may be attempting to land a specific position, an unexpected one could come up out of nowhere that you’d be perfect for. Many people in high-paying, satisfying positions never considered going for that position – until it was presented to them out of the blue.

Landing a new position in 2018 can be difficult, but there are plenty of ways that you can make it easier on yourself. NationSearch is a strong believer in advancement whenever it’s possible, as well as the use of background checks when companies are hiring new employees. If you want to learn more about either subject, reach out to our professionals for the answers.