Already nearing a quarter of a way through 2020 and your New Year’s resolution of “search for a new job” feels extremely overwhelming.  Getting a resume together, getting on-line to search for opportunities…NETWORKING?!  Ugh.  All of your least favorite things jumbled into one.  Pffft.  “I’ll wait until next year” and other excuses you used in 2017, 2018 and 2019 quickly stream back into your head.

Stop.  Pick up the phone — or send an email or LinkedIn message — and reconnect with the recruiter you met with years ago or who reached out to you with a job opportunity you didn’t reply to in the last 24 months.  As a recruiter myself, I can vouch for most who will agree, “We want to hear from you.”

Q1 and Q2 are generally the best times to look for a new job.  Why?  New year budgets for companies, new year change motivation for candidates AND because most people wait to leave their jobs until they receive their previous year’s earned bonus between December and March.  And when they leave, they need to be replaced.  PRESTO!  Job openings!  Therefore, the volume of career opportunities – generally – is highest in the first two quarters of the year.  Further, the best way to increase compensation is to go out and get a new job, not stay where you are and get a 1-4% raise every year.  And finally, it takes anywhere from 45-75* days+ to get hired (from submission of resume to accepting an offer), so it’s never too early to start the process.

Don’t push things off any longer – take the baby step of connecting with a recruiter.  I promise it won’t hurt to push those 10 buttons to make the call or take 30 seconds out of your day to send a quick email. Otherwise, June will be here before you know it and you’ll say, “It’s summer – I’ll wait until after Labor Day.”  After Labor Day you’ll say, “It’s almost the holidays – I’ll wait until the new year.”  And so on.  Which is why you’ve been in the same job for years on end, somewhere between semi-happy and miserable, simply too lazy to make a move because it’s too hard to get it all together.  Like the guy who’s been trapped at the same company for 30 years once said, “Complacency kills careers.”

So again, contact your recruiter – they will help you with your resume and do some marketing of your background to their various clients to see if anyone bites on your experience.  Recruiters are also constantly sourcing candidates for jobs on their desk, which you may be a good fit for, so make sure they know you’re open to hearing about new opportunities.  Call.  Email.  Do something.  And, even if the end result confirms you’re in the right role and with the right company, comparatively, then it was still worth the effort to come to that conclusion, reconnect with people, and feel good about the fact that you made an effort and fulfilled your “look for a new job” New Year’s Resolution.

*based on author’s 21 years of recruiting experience