A new year means new beginnings, new opportunities, and new resolutions. Now, whether or not you buy in to the effectiveness of making resolutions is up to you, but when it comes to the grueling journey of finding a new job, making a few promises to yourself isn’t a bad idea.
The good news? Not all resolutions have to be as painful as, say, going to the gym every day. Here are three resolutions that will not only be easy to commit to, they’ll make a huge difference in your job search in 2015.
1. Eat Out More
Okay, it’s not as easy as just eating out more (sorry), but the resolution is still pretty simple. The idea is to take something you have to do every day anyway, like eating lunch, and tack on an added benefit. Instead of spending your lunches alone at your desk scrolling through Reddit, for example, try eating out with a friend, colleague, or mentor. This gives you a chance to reconnect, network, and grow your relationships without the additional time (or awkwardness) of going to networking events.
And, if you consider your lunch hour your treasured me-time (read: Reddit-time), you can also try this with other daily or weekly occurrences: Bring a new contact to an industry event you’re going to, or use your commute to reach out to people for informational interviews.
2. Be Selfish
It’s easy to get caught up in what you “should” be pursuing in your career, but this is how a lot of unhappiness seeps into our working lives. Is the next step up a managerial position? Does that new shiny position at your dream company require travel? Will you still be able to keep your side gig going if you take that promotion? Moving into management, getting a new job, and taking a promotion all sound so obviously good, but if you don’t fully consider what you value from your career, it could all be a mistake.
So, as you’re job searching this year, think about yourself, consider your values, and be selfish as you’re weighing potential opportunities. Otherwise, you’ll be looking for another job a lot sooner than you’d like.
3. Reward Yourself
You’re networking, you’re reflecting on what you really want, and you’re doing all that other proper job search stuff. Great! Pat yourself on the back for all the things you’re doing right.
I’m actually not kidding—this is really important. Acknowledging the good effort you’ve put in and rewarding yourself not only keeps your own motivation in check, it also keeps your spirits up. (And remember: Recruiters can smell desperation.) So, if you know you’re giving it your all in your job search, give yourself a break and appreciate the small wins. You might not have a job in hand yet, but you will. Keep chugging along.
These sound pretty reasonable, right? But, as I said before, the best part is how effective they’ll be in helping you land the right job for you in 2015. Spend time with others, think about your own needs more, and keep your head up. Your job search (and 2015) will be over before you know it.