So, you’ve started 2020 off with a bang. You’re upping your workout game, eating healthy after endless holiday treats, but you’re still feeling like something is off. You get up everyday and you just don’t feel motivated to go to work. Considering most of us spend more time at work than we do at home, this can be very daunting on our personal well-being. We want to feel good about what we do everyday, and now is the time to make that change!

You might be thinking, why is Q1 a great time to think about a career move? Will I be successful?

What most people don’t know is that Q1 is historically one of the hottest times of the year (in addition to summer) to look for a new job opportunity.

Here are two reasons why:

New Year = New Company Goals.

Companies are fresh into their new year, and they are taking a hard look at what changes need to be made to achieve 2020 objectives. This means department shake-ups and improvements, which create new positions within an organization. In Q1, hiring spikes for companies as many may have attrition during the holidays but will intentionally delay hiring. No one wants a new hire starting on December 20th right before the mass Christmas exodus – it just doesn’t make sense. This means that even more roles may be open after the holiday break. More choices means more opportunity to find your right fit!

New Budgets.

Most companies are starting a new fiscal year in January, which means new budgets and more money to work with. This also leads to many more job opportunities, not only to fill gaps where people have moved on to other organizations, but also to create new roles. Companies will deep-dive into their business needs and create roles where there are skills gaps. Landing in a newly-created role can be extremely fulfilling, as oftentimes they rely on the skill set of the newly hired employee to shape the position. This is your chance to be creative and make an impact!

What does this mean for you? Be ready.

Here are 3 things you can do right now to prepare:

Be in the right mindset.

Get into the interview mindset and prepare yourself for change. Don’t be afraid to explore new opportunities and don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Many job seekers will read too much into job descriptions and not apply because of one or two bullets. In my view, if you are looking for a challenge and a real change, it is good to be a little bit scared by a job posting. Fun fact – companies very rarely find someone that meets every single criteria they list in their skill set. In fact, I’d say it’s an ‘almost never’ situation. So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Oh, and that goes for interviews too. If you get a call for a first interview, take the call or meeting.  I repeat: take the call or meeting. Even if you aren’t sure it’s a fit, you should take this chance to both practice interviewing and to learn more. Right now your only data point is a written posting, so you definitely don’t have all the facts. Find out if this is a fit for you!

Be resume ready.

It’s time to collect all the information that you need to build a resume. Settle on a format that you like, but don’t spend hours making the perfect resume to blast out everywhere. You will just be disappointed by how many interviews you don’t get. Think of your resume as a marketing tool. You should tailor your resume to each job you apply for based on the job posting. Recruiters take about 45 seconds to review your resume to decide if they want to read further. If you make it hard for them to figure out why you are a fit, you will go into the rejection bucket. Recruiters will not take the time to figure out why you fit. Make it clear and don’t feel like you have to include everything you’ve done if it doesn’t relate.

Be social media ready.

Clean up your social media image. Whether that means cleaning up your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or just locking down your privacy settings, make sure it’s professional. Hiring teams will look, and if they see your ‘greatest party hits of the last six months,’ they might pass you by. Most important, have a professional LinkedIn profile with a nice headshot. Don’t have a fuzzy, blurry picture with a profile that looks like it took two minutes to slap together. Make it clean, even if it’s simple. Look at other examples on LinkedIn if you need help, but make sure it’s not a mess or you might get ruled out.

Now you have everything you need to get started. The rest is up to you!