The New Year brings fresh opportunities and exciting prospects if you’re actively searching for a new job, putting together your first CV or thinking of strategic ways to gain experience for a sector you’re interested in.

If you’re a recent graduate or aiming to apply for jobs later this year, you are probably already bursting with enthusiasm and motivation. The start of 2024 is a positive time to set some goals and kick off your career path with some renewed vigour. Even if you’re in education for a little while longer, a New Year is a good opportunity to put studies into practice and explore winning ways that can all support your job search. 

Whether you’re after an entry-level job or want to get ahead of your peers, this article looks at ways to stand out in a competitive market and how to impress future employers with valuable work experience and show off your individual talent.

Perfect your CV and online profile 

The start of a New Year is also the perfect time to build on and perfect your personal CV to support your job search. It is the first document that a potential employer will read about you so it’s important to create a great CV and enhance it at every opportunity. Consider your CV as very much a ‘work in progress’ and as a project you will keep updating and improving on. With this in mind, start the year by reviewing your current CV and updating it to include all your latest qualifications, achievements and experiences from the past year. You might also want to add in any existing courses you’re on, have just completed or anything that is coming up. 

It’s worth remembering that today’s employers and companies value all achievements and value seeing who you are as a person on a CV. So, make sure you tailor your application and describe in detail if you are, for instance, developing your creative photography skills in a particular industry. Whatever industry you’re interested in entering, companies are keen to see evidence of any efforts prospective applicants are making to develop their soft skills, team sports and hobbies. Make sure you highlight everything you’re into on a personal level and don’t be shy about showcasing past accomplishments even if they don’t seem to relate to the sector you’re focused on.

LinkedIn should be your first port of call when job hunting in 2024. Build a perfect profile showcasing your skills, experience and accomplishments. To be ultra diligent, follow companies you’d like to work for and sign up for their new job alerts. Recruiters and HR departments (or talent spotters) within businesses search LinkedIn daily, so if you create an engaging LinkedIn profile, you’ll soon be visible for the year ahead.

Develop your responsibilities 

Next, look at developing and adding more soft skills to make you stand out in 2024. Soft skills can be a great measure of your confidence and talents. it’s important to apply for positions of responsibility in any clubs you are a member of or in the hobbies you like, as this demonstrates your well-rounded talents.

Likewise, look for and enrol in online courses to support your career trajectory, whether that is to build technical abilities, learn new software or polish soft skills like leadership and teamwork. Extra qualifications in any field are valuable, whether they came from a short-term course, a one-day shadow role, specific internship or a fully-fledged placement year. Having an updated and robust CV can position you well for your 2024 job hunt.

Take advantage of resources and events

If you are at college, on an apprenticeship or at university, make full use of any career advice, internship resources, job boards, unpaid or voluntary posts or inspiring workshops that are invaluable for supporting your current studies, help to define your career aspirations and enhance your CV. 

As it is early on in the year, look ahead and sign up for any recruitment fairs, company presentations, or alumni events at your institution. These all provide great networking opportunities and can help you connect directly with potential employers. It is important to be aware of when employers open up their graduate application opportunities. In some cases, this might be a year in advance of the role’s start date – especially for larger companies so put yourself in the best position to secure a graduate job.

Likewise, your university might offer mentorships or industry placements which provide amazing work experiences and, if you’re lucky, they might convert into a full-time contract before the year is out. In addition, there are trade conferences, events and career fairs throughout 2024 that will advertise exciting new opportunities.

Whether you’ve signed up for a new course or applied for a dream role, the tips above will help you apply for a coveted job with renewed confidence. With 2024 ahead of you, take time to market yourself, gain as much work experience as possible, or be creative about having your soft skills to impress potential employers. 

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Thank you to Dakota for writing this blog!

Dakota Murphey is an established freelance writer who regularly contributes to a number of authoritative resources online. She specialises in eCommerce, Digital Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Human Resources, Company Growth and Cybersecurity.