The New Year is seen as a time for a new start by lots of people, so why not take this on board and make the decision to change career? Practically too, this can be a great time of year to job hunt as lots of organisations will be busy after Christmas. Lots of people will also be taking the decision to move, so vacancies will be popping up in appealing sectors all the time. Here is some advice for 2017 job hunting:

• Get your CV up to date. If you know you will be job hunting in the New Year, get this taken care of ahead of time. This will take the pressure off you when you actually want to start applying for positions. The confidence it gives you with might even give you that extra edge over other candidates.
• Sort your references. Some companies will want references outside of your current employer, so make sure people who know you well and know you professionally are on hand to help.
• Practice your interview technique. Think about questions that are often asked in your industry and prepare some answers. Get somebody to ask you the questions so that you are able to practice and get used to talking convincingly.
• Sign up to job websites. This will give you access to lots of new jobs daily. You may as well be organised and sign up ahead of time so that you will have your access sorted by the time you’re ready to apply. You might even get agencies contacting you to speak to you about positions they are recruiting for.

Applying for a new job is never easy, but if you time it right, there will be plenty of opportunities and you might even be able to take your pick.