5 things you need to know about beginning your New Year’s job hunt online

The beginning of the year is always a good time to make a fresh start. If you’re planning to do so by changing jobs or careers, be sure to make the most of the powerful tools that online skills and job portals offer you for managing your career. Here’s five tips to get you started.

1. Refine your CV

The first step in a successful job hunt starts by sharpening up your CV to put the spotlight on your experience, achievements and skills. Update it with the latest information about your career, making sure that a recruiter can see with a quick glance which qualities, skills and accomplishments make you stand out. While you’re about it, speak to people who you worked with in the past who will be happy to give you reference letters.

2. Register with an online career service

A good way to stay in touch with premium job opportunities is to register with a career portal. Many corporate recruiters and recruitment agencies rely on these portals to scout the market for fresh talent for top jobs. You can generally keep your CV anonymous, if you’re worried about someone finding out that you’re hunting for a new job. Or you can simply register to receive alerts when relevant job opportunities for you are posted, so that you can apply for those that catch your eye.

3. Map out your career path

Whether you’re looking for a new job or not, it’s a good idea to take stock of your career goals and aspirations at least once a year. Many skills and career portals offer free self-assessment tools that can help you map your interests, ambitions and skills to potential career options. This can be very helpful if you’re feeling bored or unsatisfied in your current position and want to find out more about alternatives to the job you’re doing or about your next step to success.

4. Ask for guidance

Of course, you might want advice that goes beyond what a self-assessment questionnaire can tell you. One way we differentiate ourselves in the market is by offering career coaching to selected candidates. Your other options include speaking to a mentor at work or an independent executive career coach.

5. Stay in touch with job opportunities on the run

A good skills portal should have a mobile app available for the most popular smartphones and tablets so that you can keep in touch with job applications and opportunities wherever you are. This can help you to easily manage your career opportunities in your own time and on your own device, even if you’re away from your desk for a while. The SkillsMap Android and iOS app, for example, keeps you up to date with the latest positions right from your pocket.