Happy New Year – Time To Get Cracking In The Job Search!

Even if you doubled down on your job search during the holidays, now is the time to lay the groundwork for the entire new year.

Here is a five-item checklist to supercharge the fulfillment of your professional aspirations. It’s not going to be easy. It’s trench warfare, so this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to hire yourself to do it and compensate yourself with whatever it is that will make you sit down and complete this checklist. Whatever it is, give it to yourself as payment for services rendered. If you don’t want to spend any money, write out a quick contract with yourself that you will pay yourself [insert compensation here] the day you get your new job. Sign the contract and stick to it.

If you’re currently employed and not actively seeking a new job, this applies to you as well. It’s always better to invest a little time at the beginning of each new year than be faced with the Herculean task of writing years’ worth of professional experience all at once.

1. Update your resume. That’s right. We said it and you’re going to do it. If you’re a new job seeker, this should go without saying. There is no time like now to create a dynamic professional resume. If you’ve been looking for a new job and failing to make any breakthroughs, now is the time to revise and improve your resume. If you’re currently employed, first, be sure you have your current position on your resume. Chances are you don’t. Add it, and while the memories are fresh include your top one or two accomplishments from last year. Remember to proofread!

2. Update your LinkedIn profile. Yes, more updating. Get used to it. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, create one. For existing members, update your profile so it covers the same ground as your resume (which you just updated, right?). However, remember that a LinkedIn profile is an extensive multi-media supplement to your resume. While the most important information on your resume should be included, your LinkedIn profile is NOT a verbatim regurgitation of what’s on it.

3. Update your job boards profiles. Yes, a lot of this process is torturous repetition. If you have an updated resume, you need to update every job board on which you have a profile. Not only should you upload the newest version of your resume, but make sure all the information in your profile is updated as well. Job boards are trying to become career ecosystems like LinkedIn, so they continuously roll out new features for their posters. It’s worth the effort to explore what the job boards offer to see what may be advantageous to your job search.

4. Follow-up on any promising pre-holiday leads or communications. Don’t wait by the phone. Nobody will fault you for disappearing down the holiday hole, but you should not allow too much time to pass before aggressively pursuing any potential connections formed before the holidays. Since you updated your resume and LinkedIn profile (right?), you now have an additional reason to reach out to any recruiters or hiring managers with whom you believe you have traction.

5. Prepare for your job interview even if you don’t have one. Don’t wait until you’ve scheduled an interview to line up the tools you’ll need. Make sure you have multiple printed copies of your resume on professional resume paper. You may never need them but be prepared if you do. Make sure you have professional interview clothes (and shoes) dry cleaned and ready to go. If you’re in a creative field that requires a physical portfolio, make sure it’s updated for the new year and interview ready. If you’re employed but interviewing for new jobs, create a strategy to get time off for interviews without drawing undue attention to what you’re doing. Consider investing in some business cards. It seems archaic, but you’d be surprised how helpful they can be if you dole them out at an interview. Finally, if you want to go the extra mile, practice, practice, practice!

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.