How to Succeed in Your New Year’s Job Search (and at the Gym!)

The new year is full of resolutions, and two of the more popular ones you’ll see that are at the top of people’s lists involve getting in better shape, and finding a new job. While toning your glutes and looking for a new employer may not really seem to overlap, the strategies you use to succeed in both endeavors are surprisingly similar. Whether you want to keep up going to the gym, or take the next step on your career path, here are four things you need to do:

Make A Plan. Going into your job search without a plan is the same as walking into the gym on January 1^st without knowing what you are going to focus on: you may end up reaching your ultimate goals, but you are making things much harder on yourself. Finding your next career involves putting a plan together; this includes identifying your target companies, your career priorities, and figuring out what makes you the right candidate for the job. This will allow you to better focus your efforts, which will cut down on a lot of the stress that comes with just blindly filling out applications and hoping for the best.

Pace Yourself (i.e. Be Realistic).  One of the main reasons why gyms start clearing out at the end of January is that new members forget about the importance of pacing. Instead of easing themselves into a routine, there is a tendency to come out fast, which can easily lead to burnout. Pacing is vital in your job search as well. There are some people who may be able to spend 10 hours a day looking for a job and still feel motivated and full of energy after a couple of weeks; most people, though, will need to set realistic limits for themselves, especially at first.  You may find that one hour of really focused research and application work in the morning will yield better results than an entire day of less focused searching.

Don’t Be Afraid To Make Adjustments. Pobody’s nerfect: no matter how well you research and plan an endeavor, may it be for the gym or your job search, you may find a point where you recognize it’s just not working. Instead of getting frustrated questioning everything, look for where small adjustments can be made. Job markets are fluid, so what might seem like the best angle to get a job one month may not get you any call backs the next. Consider expanding your search radius a bit, or making a tweak to your resume. A staffing company, like AppleOne, can help you out with this as well.

Keep Things Interesting. As a human being, you want to do things that interest you. Even if you aren’t looking forward to taking out a particular project, looking for an angle that can keep things interesting can at least help you get through it. At the gym, this may involve finding a podcast that you can get lost in, or competing against yourself, or a friend, on a machine. For your job search, staying interested may involve taking your laptop and filling out some applications outdoors, or at a local coffee shop. A change of location can go a long way when it comes to motivating your job search.