New Year’s Resolutions are notorious for being kept … for about 6 days. But there are several resolutions worth keeping this new year. If you’ve “had it up to here” with your job, or if you’re currently unemployed, finding new or better employment opportunities is a resolution you have to WORK for … rarely does a new or better job come searching for you.

There are two tough parts to finding a new job:

1. Actually finding an open position
2. Interviewing well enough to get the job offer

Finding open positions

The first step is to decide what it is you want to do. What are you passionate about? What motivates you to do your best work? Back several years ago I wrote an article about how to discover your passion ^[2]. Those 20 questions are essential keys to helping you discover what it is you love to do.

After you reach a few conclusions about your passion ^[3], you’ll have to uncover which companies work in that area. You probably already have an idea but there are other sources and options for finding an open position or which company specializes in it:

• Your favorite search engine – Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
• Your network ^[4] of professional contacts
• LinkedIn ^[5] – allows you to build a network ^[4] of professional contacts. It’s a great tool for job-seekers (thanks to Janet for pointing out my omission of this resource!)
• The Ladders ^[6] ($)
• Vault.com ($) – Vault has job boards and allows you to research companies.
• monster.com ^[7]
• CareerBuilder ^[8]
• Job.com ^[9]
• Snagajob ^[10] (mostly hourly positions)
• Executive recruiters in your industry – check in trade journals or online
• Your newspapers classifieds

Learning to interview

Finding an open position is like finding a gold nugget. You better make the most of it when you uncover one. That’s one reason I wrote The Inner View of Your Interview ^[11]. Interviewing skills are almost non-existent with many candidates but that doesn’t have to be the case with you.

Once you learn how to tilt the interview ^[12] in your favor and how to say what you need to say so you are the natural fit for the interviewer’s open position (both are covered in the book), you’re in a much better position to get the job offer!

Get started today on your resolution to get a better job!

The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be working at a job you love, one that fulfills you, that challenges you, that you look forward to each and every day. Make part of your resolution to create a personal action plan and stick with it. Don’t wallow in self-pity, get out there and MAKE something happen. It all starts with you and your action!

About the author

Ron has written 1083 articles on The Wisdom Journal.

The founder and editor of The Wisdom Journal ^[13] in 2007, Ron has worked in banking, distribution, retail, and upper management for companies ranging in size from small startups to multi-billion dollar corporations. He graduated Suma Cum Laude from a top MBA program and currently is a partner in a national building materials company.

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