Janus (not the band) is the Roman god of beginnings and transitions (Gates & Doors). Janus had 2-Faces and he was able to look to the future and the past simultaneously. The month of January was so named in his honor by the Romans. The Roman Festival of Calends was celebrated to discard the ills of the past 12 months and establish a pattern for the coming year through good conduct.
A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit or lifestyle change. It comes at a time when people look back at the past year and make an effort to improve themselves as the New Year begins. Unfortunately, according to researcher, Richard Wiseman, 88% of all New Year’s resolutions fail. Now to help establish a pattern and be a part of the 12%, let’s look to our career goals and aspirations. Use this annual time of self- reflection to evaluate your current situation and decide whether you need to make a change. Dust off that resume and add new skills and awards you may have acquired. Add a new format to your resume. HR Associates offers free ideas here, Resources & Downloads. If you have a LinkedIn profile, update your information there also.
At the start of a New Year, many growing companies will add positions. To get a chance at the next “Great Job”, reach out to recruiters in your area with your updated credentials.
An important follow up would be to rejuvenate your references. Do the contacts on your list know of your current career goals? Is the contact information still current? Make a few calls and remove any possibility of negative feedback.
If developing new skills or honing the ones you have, attend to any opportunity for additional training. For a new career path, you can research with the Occupational Outlook Handbook .
When you finally land an interview, make sure you dress appropriately and are well groomed like most Ancient Romans were thought to be. Hygiene in ancient Rome included the famous public Roman baths and toilets both with generally high standards of cleanliness. For additional interview suggestions take a look at HR Associates’ Best Foot Forward Interview Tips. If you have relatives, like my brother, who like the ease of a gift card in lieu of a shopping excursion,use it to invest in your wardrobe for interviews to boost your confidence.
Our current Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 and replaced the 45 B.C. Julian calendar of Julius Caesar. Pope Gregory XIII had made only minor changes like adding a leap day every 4 years and adding 10 days to bring the Spring Equinox back up to March 21st. Julius Caesar gave us January 1st and a calendar which remained intact for nearly 1600 years, dusting off last year’s news should be a piece of cake in comparison. As they say, “When in Rome …”
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