New Year, new career: how to prepare for job searchs

A NEW year is here, with the start of the new year offering an ideal opportunity to take stock of your life and make changes.

- MICHELLE DOBSON

If you want to take your career to a new level, January is an ideal time to plan a job search. It gives you a few weeks to prepare for February, when the recruitment cycle generally starts to pick up. Here are a few tips to get job-ready in 2026:

1. Set your direction for the year

If you know you're ready for a change, the beginning of January is the time to make your plans. Think about your goals and what it will take to achieve them. What roles, industries and companies excite you? Are there any concrete steps you can take to make yourself stand out in the job market? This will help you to draw up a plan for changing jobs.

2. Do your research

Once you know what you want, you can start to explore the opportunities in the job market. Take some time to review job listings to understand what employers are looking for, which skills are in the most demand, and which industries and companies are growing and hiring. Speak to people in your network to find out about the trends they are seeing. This will help you focus your job search on the best opportunities.

3. Polish your CV to a fine shine