The hardest step to take is that first step. Kicking off a new job search can be scary, overwhelming and intimidating, but there is nothing more rewarding then taking the right first steps and to come out swinging. There is so much guidance out there that speaks to how to kick off a new job search, but from our 100 recruiters and almost a decade of experience doing this, allow us to offer you 5 tips that our expert recruiters at JBC offer to our candidate pool each and every day.

1. REFLECT: While there are equals in importance, I do not believe there is anything more important than first reflecting before you kick off your next job search. It should be critical to identify what you like about your current job and more importantly what you do not like and are missing in your current or previous jobs. How can you possibly find the next step and next opportunity without knowing what to look for. Grab that pen and paper and write it down. This will help you craft questions for interviews, hold yourself accountable to your long term goals and aspirations and it will simply make this process easier and more effective.
2. ARE YOU READY?: Don’t start that job search until you are ready to actually make a move from your current company. If you are uncertain or in your heart thinking you can just use another offer to get a counter offer, then you are not ready. Searching for a new job requires a full time commitment and requires you to be honest with yourself. It is also very important to remember that the job interview process can often be quick so make sure you are in the mental mindset to take an offer if you get one that you feel good about. You don’t want to burn those bridges as some will never be rebuilt.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA: This one tends to be for the younger more entry level generation, but lets face it, it’s 2014 and everyone is on social media. Remember that the things you say (digitally), the pictures you post, the comments you make are all memorialized forever. I have seen so many great candidates lose jobs, or worse have jobs rescinded, because of things a client discovers on social media channels. Before you kick off that new job search make sure your online presence is in line with the professional appearance you want to put forward. While your social media footprint is important, it’s also very important to be mindful of the professional social media footprint. As you kick off your job search, make sure to create or update your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is heavily relied upon by companies (small and large) across the globe. The more information you have that highlights your skills and accomplishments, the more likely it is that your profile will come up in their searches or compliment your application when you cross the desk of the right companies and their recruiters.
4. RECRUITERS: While it might be a plug, recruiters across the globe are thriving. Why? Because if you leverage us we are an asset that is neck deep one step removed and we are able to open the door for you with opportunities that you are interested in, but also with opportunities you may not have thought of. One of the harder challenges while searching for a job (in my opinion) is to just open that door to the opportunity. While recruiters are not always the end all be all and I would strongly encourage you not to rely on one or even many recruiters, I would encourage you to leverage a recruiter. Each day we practice the art of communicating and selling to clients. We are masters at picking up the phone and having a client on the other end rely upon our judgment and knowledge. The other option is to send your resume into a companies job portal and hope out of the 4,000+ applicants they see your resume.
5. FAILURE: Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. I have lived my life as an entrepreneur launching several companies and ideas most of which have failed, but what I have taken away from each and every move I make is that I do not make mistakes, but I always have great learning experiences. If you can learn from your mistakes then they are never actually mistakes. I have a colleague here at JBC who shared a great fact with me a few weeks ago, “Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly 2,000 times to develop the carbonized cotton-thread filament for the incandescent light bulb. And when asked about it, he said ‘I didn’t fail; I found out 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb,’ he only needed one way to make it work.” While some of you will hit a home run on your first try searching for a new job, most of you won’t. Don’t let that deter you.