Job hunting can be stressful trawling through the papers, browsing the internet, worrying about the state of your CV – but with just a little thought and planning, you could find yourself closer to your next job.

1. Get some advice

If youre buying a house, you get advice; if youre starting a business, you get advice; if youre changing jobs, you just go ahead and do it. Once youve decided that you want a new job, why not take the time to get some advice? Find out which companies are growing, what sort of salaries are being offered for the sort of work you do and what prospects are available for someone with your skills or qualifications. Get impartial advice on your strengths and weaknesses and identify areas where some additional training or experience may be useful. By getting some advice before you look for a job, you will be better prepared to select the right job for you.

2. Sort out your CV now!

Theres no shortage of CV advice and guidance on the internet, but a lot of people must be ignoring it because agencies and employers are still receiving lots of poorly written and planned CVs. Your CV is the first contact your future employer has with you, so its vital you make a good impression. If youre not confident about producing your own CV, then invest in professional advice its worth it if it helps you to get a better job in the long run.

3. Research

Once youve been called in for an interview, theres no excuse for not being properly prepared. The more you know about the company, the more confident you will be at interview. Nearly every company has a website, and most will send you product and corporate information if you ask for it. This research will also allow you to ask informed questions at interview.

Follow these three basic steps and you should find yourself in a much better position when it comes to selecting and applying for your next job.

Changing jobs is quite natural for many people nowadays. Specialists kept on switching companies looking for a better place to work at. But their functional responsibilities still remain the same. However, such rotation without the change of your occupation is not 100% useful. Psychological research has showed that a person will have more chances to succeed if he changes his vocation once 5 7 years. Thus he will acquire new knowledge and experience and he will learn how to deal with new unusual tasks.

Even if you have created a dynamic plan for developing your career from a clerk to a senior manager in a particular company new responsibilities dont substitute old ones, but are just added to the existing duties. In other words, you dont change your activity but the sphere of your responsibility becomes wider. In fact, a person keeps on working in the same professional area. However paradoxical it may be, but after a few years since submitting your sales resume you are more likely to lose your sales competence than to gain or improve it. You get tired of routine work; you fulfill your duties mechanically with no zest and enthusiasm. That is why psychologists suggest changing the content of the work not its place. Human resource managers still make the same mistake: they are looking for the applicants with at least a year relevant experience. They dont consider retrained specialists or those who have no experience in the pertinent area. They dont take into account that inexperienced candidates have considerable advantages over the experts: they have no professional stamps clichs, they are ready to improve themselves, and they have sincere interest for the new job and others.

Today more and more people are changing their specialty. Social psychology defines this phenomenon as professional reorientation. Mostly it applies to young people. Older people have less flexible thinking their professional life is influenced by prevalent stereotypes and they have too high demands for themselves. People older 35 are afraid of taking risks. Even if his life-time dream was to become an executive of car manufacturing company, he wont set himself to writing a resume. The idea of cardinal retraining seems senseless and even careless to older people. Most of them can neither afford no do they want to spend their time and money for obtaining a second education. Two categories make an exception of this statement. They are housewives, who have adult children and now are free to take up their career. Another category is retired servicemen. Both groups come across a lot of objective and psychological difficulties. Psychologists admit that only few people with a specific temperament are capable of abrupt changing their professional life. The ability to take reasonable risk in your professional life – is the major factor of success. And on the contrary fear of changes or failure inhibit your success. You will always have a well paid job if you learn to regard studies and job changing as a natural component of your working life. A well known American businessman, the author of several books on business psychology wrote: It is not worth sticking to your primary vocation for being rewarded a golden watch when you are retired. Think, may be it is time for you to stop sending your teacher resume from one school to another and consider better choices.