January is the big month for job changers. But did you know it can take 18-24 months to land a job? You can cut your job search short by starting with these 5 actions.

1) Write your ideal job description; include all of the criteria that are essential like commute time, environment, desired responsibilities and those new challenges you’re ready for, salary range, perks and benefits you’d like, even the organization’s mission if that’s important to you. Write about the immediate contribution you can make in this job. Get excited about this. Really see yourself here. Make it real.

2) List all the work you’ve done that you’re most proud of. Be detailed and write down the skills you’ve used to be successful at what you’ve done. Note what the results have been when you’ve contributed your efforts.

3) Think of everyone you know and write their names down. This may seem like a ridiculously obvious thing to do, but it will help you remember people to reach out to who you may have overlooked. Even your family members. People regularly forget that the folks closest to them may be connected with others who can help in their job transition. It’s important to know who you can talk to about your job search. Check your LinkedIn connections; if you’ve been using Linkedin you’ve probably forgotten who you’re connected with. You may now have contacts at companies you’d like to work for! You’ll want to reach out and courteously reconnect so you can let them know you’re on the hunt. Share with them where you want to go and what you’re looking to do. It’s about the work you want to do and not necessarily the title since titles vary so much from place to place.

4) Update your resume. Find a few job descriptions on LinkedIn, Indeed, Idealist or other sites and write your resume specifically for the jobs you want, including results oriented statements. Be sure to use the language these employers are using. Their job description are full of important key words to use.

5) Before you send any resumes out, be sure to update your LinkedIn profile so it’s consistent with your resume. If you’re looking for a variety of different kinds of jobs you’ll need to list all of the key words you’d like to be known for, regardless of how diverse they might be. Write you’re summary to reflect your achievements, skills and interests.

Get started with these steps and you’ll be off to a great start. More tips coming in future blogs!

Struggling with any of these steps? Email me at [email protected] so we can put together the best job search strategies to get you where you want to go in short order.