There’s often some downtime for employees in January as the fog of the holidays rolls away and everyone begins tooling up for the new year and slowly breaking their resolutions. All those processes we cursed but were too busy to deal with last year are staring us in the face, and maybe it’s time to start really thinking about how aggressive you should be in searching for different employment opportunities. Here are some things to think about if you’re ready to take it up a notch.

1. Look Inside.

A job hunt isn’t a casual undertaking, and your current workmates will likely know you’re on the hunt. That’s OK, but make sure you feel it’s really worth it. Are there internal opportunities at your office that might be worth looking into first?

2. What about Your Tools.

Is everything up to date and looking right? Resume? Portfolio? LinkedIn profile with all the right keywords (position names you’re interested in should appear in your profile)? Twitter?

3. Your Network.

References have gained in importance to many hiring managers. Make sure yours are ready. Figure out who will be good at helping you make the move and where the bum steers likely lie. Get on the phone or email colleagues and recruiters to gather some necessary info about what a new job would be like.

4. Check Your Market Value.

This isn’t easy. People don’t want to tell you what they make. But ask around for ranges just so you’re prepared to ask for the amount you deserve and you don’t look naive asking for something way off. Glassdoor has a handy salary index you can use to get started

5. Let People Know.

You should start with your recruiter then fan out to colleagues or former workmates. Track your progress in a notebook.

Job hunts aren’t in the top ten list of fun things to do, but you can’t wait until you have no other option to get things ready. If you really want to step up your search be sure you’re ready for the commitment and aren’t just acting out of anger over something that will blow over. No matter how intense you want to go, it’s always important to have your resume, social media and portfolio at the ready and have a line in with a recruiter who can help you find opportunities.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.