The new year can be a challenging start for job seekers: Here’s what to expect

The key to success in 2023 is to embrace uncertainty and take action. You have to realize that we are not going back to the halcyon days of companies hiring recklessly. Some economists and Wall Street professionals predicted that we would face a severe recession. Layoffs and hiring freezes will continue for the foreseeable future. You will need to make yourself indispensable in the office while keeping your eyes open for new opportunities.

To gain a competitive edge, start looking for a new job now. Spruce up your resume and LinkedIn profile. Do some research to find a few top-rated recruiters. Browse job postings, create an elevator pitch, and network with friends, family, former colleagues, college alumni, and more to get job leads and introductions to key decision makers at target companies.

Carefully read the job description to make sure you’re the right fit, and watch out for any red flags. Ask hiring managers tough questions. You don’t want to leave a job only to find out later that the new company is conducting layoffs or canceling job offers. While interviewing, make sure you work hard at the office or at home, you will get noticed by your boss and make yourself indispensable in case you don’t get a job offer.

Just because the New Year begins does not mean that everything has become good again. Inflation is still at 40-year highs, and the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates, bursting the bubble for everything. Stocks, property and crypto markets crashed in 2022. The only invincible tech giants saw their share prices plummet. Amazon’s stock price is down 50.3% year to date. Meta saw a 63% decline and Netflix tumbled 53%.

On the plus side, January is a good month to find a job

Historically, January is one of the best times to start a job search. The start of a new year brings a sense of opportunity and a fresh start. Looking for a new opportunity is part of the usual promises; to follow a diet, go to the gym and get rid of bad habits.

From Thanksgiving until a week or two after New Years, there is an unspoken collective agreement between workers and management that we can see the entire coast during the holiday season. It’s time to take a vacation, use your personal days, and enjoy three or four day weekends. Because people are mentally out of work, it’s too hard to win transactions in the hiring process. As soon as one person returns from vacation, another professional—an integral part of the interview process—is out of the office.

In the second or third week of January, we committed to another collective decision. We reluctantly embrace the “back to school” mentality and resign ourselves to returning to the grind. HR professionals and hiring managers start to panic when they realize they have to fill positions that have been vacant for too long. Lagging workers complain that they need help, with a veiled threat that they will quietly quit or begin a secret job search if the company doesn’t hire people to help with the workload.

What to watch out for

Although January is a great time to find a new job, the first few weeks tend to be slow. There is a time lag for new budgets and staff numbers to be approved. Companies will slowly start posting their open positions online and recruit recruiters to help them find suitable and relevant candidates.

Sometimes there is a disconnect between the reality of the labor market and what managers think is happening. They may not be aware that wages have risen due to inflation and may unwittingly extend low offers. The hiring process just got colder. HR does not respond to the resumes you send and phone calls, texts and emails go unanswered. It’s become common for the company to ghost you after you’ve gone through three to six interviews over the course of several months.

Before a new person is hired, management wants to know who may leave or already has a new role lined up. There is a bit of a lag as year-end reviews, promotions, bonuses and promotions continue into January or March.

Sectors, including Wall Street and technology companies, pay common compensation. A large part of the paid packages are in the bonuses. Banks can postpone the payment of the bonus until March. This is a cool strategic move to prevent a person from leaving as they will lose their bonus if they quit before they are paid. Some job seekers are holding back on their search plans for fear of being found out and jeopardizing their year-end bonus. The company you are interviewing with may not want to buy your bonus because of the new austerity mindset of corporate management.

Work on your mindset and your positivity

In addition to having the right skills, academic background and talents for the job, you also need the right attitude. Companies want people who are confident, motivated, positive thinking and enthusiastic. They want people with a winning mindset.

Interviewing is a stressful endeavor. You will have to gather your courage and be bold and brave. Sometimes even the best and brightest get rejected. When this happens, brush off and stand up again.

Managers and interviewers want to hire and work with optimistic people who project the ability to get the job done. A critical part of the job search is your mindset. Cultivate a positive outlook that exudes confidence. Think of all the times you have triumphed over adversity. Think of all the luck you’ve had. Going into an interview with positivity makes a big difference. People will understand your mood and frequency. They will feel good in your presence. When you radiate a positive aura, you will become likable and desirable.