Neil McCarthy, managing director of specialist recruitment agency, Kin-Tec Recruitment

With the foul weather outside, pile of credit card bills on your doormat and summer feeling a lifetime away, it’s no wonder that January is traditionally the month where we look for a new role with better prospects, better pay and a better future!

Yet with the credit crunch affecting all of us, and new redundancies being announced daily, a naturally competitive market is set to be even more competitive in early 2009 as the number of unemployed rises and the number of jobs available decreases.

Even specialist sectors are likely to feel the pinch as larger blue chip companies announce recruitment freezes. So what can you do to stand out from the crowd and get the job you really want in 2009?

Here are our top nine recruitment tips to help you get the new start you want in the New Year:

1. Think about what career do you really want? Christmas can be the perfect opportunity to take a break from everyday life and think about what career you want and where you want to be in the long-term. Think about your skills and talents, what you enjoy, your beliefs and what you are passionate about. It may not just be a change of job that will help but a total change of career and could involve increasing your skills base or increasing your qualifications but if this helps achieve your long term goals this would help make you happy in the short term too. 

2. Be specific about your ideal job. By defining the ideal career that will help you use your skills, maximise your talent and fulfil your desires you will be specific about the ideal job you are looking for instead of being defined by job opportunities that come up. Surprisingly, in a competitive marketplace it is better to have a defined idea of your ideal job as you will be more focussed for this career and be able to hone your interview skills for these roles.

3. Think about the types of companies you would like to work for. Whether you produce a list of companies in your area that have roles that you would be interested in (even if they are not hiring it is useful to know which companies have your ideal role). Or whether you just have an idea of the type of company you would like to work for, this can be a great starting point for you to help start looking for vacancies or can be useful to let your recruitment agency know. 

4. If necessary, reassess your skill base If you are finding that issues are cropping up from your interviews or application process it may be an idea to reassess your skill base. If undertaking a particular course or gaining some additional experience would help get you the job it would be worth doing as competition is so fierce, even unpaid experience can be very beneficial. Your dream job could be a bit further away even and involve re-training although this should not put you off as there are many grants out there now for professional qualifications and will help you reach your dream career even easier.

5. Speak to someone in the industry If you can, speak to someone within the industry for an insight into what qualities prospective employers are looking for as this can help with applications and interviews. This is particularly useful for specialist industries such as the oil and gas industry where companies are looking for specific personal attributes. If you don’t know anyone, your recruitment consultant can help by possibly putting you in touch with someone suitable.

6. Sort out your CV! It sounds obvious but many people still forget that this is the first thing that prospective employers see. Check your details, keep it concise to 2-3 pages maximum, check for spelling and grammatical mistakes and remember to include key achievements. A personal statement at the start of the CV can be a great way of attracting the attention of a prospective employer quickly too.

Remember that when you meet with a recruitment agency first impressions are just as important. Your consultant will look for possible roles and clients to match you up to from their impression of you from your application form an interview.

7. Start applying…With all the preparation in place you can now start applying for suitable roles! Use as many methods as possible to try and find suitable positions: local newspapers, national job websites, go direct to relevant employers and contact specialist recruitment agencies. By casting your net far and wide you will have more opportunity in times such as these to find a suitable position to apply for.

8. Hone your interview technique. The difference between a good interview and a great interview could mean the difference getting the job or not. The key to a great interview is often in the preparation. If you prepare well you are likely to be more relaxed and come across as more confident. If you can prepare questions before the interview, and research the company you are seeing this all helps show that you are interested in both the position and the company. And an important tip is take your CV with you – not only does reading through it refresh your memory of key points on your CV but it also looks good to have it on hand in case the interviewer doesn’t have a copy.

9. Don’t get disheartened! With more competition out there and less roles to go for it may take you longer to find the right role for you, but don’t get disheartened. Remember that every application or interview is giving you more experience and honing your technique. Keeping your energy levels up and focussed on each individual application separately can help you appear more positive and the prospective client, who is also possibly going through a long, arduous application process, will look on you in a better light.