You need to prepare before you start you job search. Benjamin Franklin famously said, “by failing to prepare , you are preparing to fail .”

These are my seven key actions which prepare you to succeed in your job search:

• Know what you want: This may seem obvious, but it’s also important. It will help you focus your job search in two ways: first, it makes you more attractive to recruiters and employers who want someone who is focussed; and second, it means you waste less time chasing after irrelevant and pointless jobs!
• Create your CV: Your CV needs to be up-to-date, clear and concise, as well as being geared towards the job that you’re focussing on. Possibly the most important aspect: check it for mistakes!
• Think about your referees: You’ll need to have someone from your current company, which might be difficult. However, you should also have someone from a previous job who you can trust in terms of confidentiality that can be prepared to act as a standby referee, until the point that your new job is confirmed and you can safely ask someone in your current company to be your referee.
• Business networking: Remember, people buy from people. And the same thing will be true for your job search: people prefer to employ people that they know. So you need to think about how you can best use your business networks in your job search. Which online business networks are your potential employers using? Make sure you have an up-to-date profile on these networks, and that you are using them to connect (first, with people in your current circle, then moving outwards). Different business networks have different etiquettes, so learn them and use them.
• Get involved in activities outside work: If you’re not already involved in sport or hobbies, think about what you enjoy and start getting involved. Not only will it benefit your mental and physical health, but the teamwork and cooperation that sport and hobbies often involve will look good on your CV, and you may just meet someone who could be useful for your job search!
• Tidy up your social network accounts: Make sure that only those who you would want seeing your content can see it!
• Research your recruiters: Find out which agencies are working in your industry, location, and discipline. If you need some advice on this, go back and listen to or read episodes 24, 25 and 28 of this series.

I know that this seems like a lot of work to do before even starting your job search, but it really is worth doing and will definitely pay off in the long-term, as well as the short term. You will feel more confident and appear more confident when you approach potential new employers.