January and February are the best months to seek out a new job and make a career change. Hiring budgets for the year have been approved and employers are motivated to jumpstart the year by filling open positions. Hiring activity that was delayed in November and December can now move forward and the backlog of unfilled 2021 jobs are out there. Many companies pay annual bonuses in December, so a lot of people wait until January to change jobs. Companies expect this so they look to make lots of new hires in January.
Successful job candidates enter the New Year prepared with Applicant Tracking Software-proof, achievement-driven resumes, searchable LinkedIn Profiles, and targeted cover letters so that they stand out among competing candidates. They also practice job interview questions and answers and prepare for compensation negotiation, so they don’t waste a single new career opportunity.
Looking at 2022 overall, it looks to be an incredibly unique, values-based career year. Although the employment space is clearly in a period of massive change due to Covid-19, exceptional talent is in the driver’s seat. Employers are more focused than ever on proving their claims that “people are our biggest asset” and unprecedented strides in diversity, equity, and inclusion are opening opportunities for a more diverse workforce. Companies are not only attracting as broad an array of employees as possible, but they are focused on retaining and engaging them which translates into improved benefits and job satisfaction.
Despite the pervasiveness of the pandemic in our lives and careers, career changers and job seekers are determined and more creative than ever in pursuing career opportunities and reimagining what their work lives can look like.
Here’s to 2022!
Garrison Leykam is a Certified Professional Career Coach, author, and speaker whose success as a career strategist comes from his senior leadership experience with major corporations, his knowledge of the job market as former director of a national staffing firm, and his expertise in career branding utilizing his PhD in Marketing. Garrison’s track record of client success reflects his results proven skills in resume and cover letter writing, job search effectiveness, compelling LinkedIn profile tune-ups, interview preparation, and compensation negotiation. His engaging client interactions are fueled by his creativity, enthusiasm, and job candidate support across all industries and levels of experience.
CERTIFICATIONS
- Professional Career Coach (CPCC)
- Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW)
- Employment Interview Professional (CEIP)
- Business Coach (Expert Level)
- Life Coach (Expert Level)Remote Work Professional
- Workplaceless® Remote Work
- Certified DISC Profile Analyst (CDPA)
LINKEDIN EXPERT
- Top 25 MA & PhD profiles in the U.S.
- Top 1% LinkedIn Industry Social Selling Index (SSI)
- All-Star: highest rating for LinkedIn profile
- 4% of LinkedIn members statistically deemed a Super Connector
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Expert
Harold Samuel coined the phrase “Location, location, location” in 1944 when he founded Land Securities, one of the United Kingdom’s largest property companies. In 2021, his quote is as valid today when it comes to being found and searchable on your LinkedIn Profile. 
In states that require helmet use for all riders (operators and passengers), 99% of motorcyclists wear helmets. Nowhere near the same compliance when it comes to age discrimination in the workplace. Although age discrimination in hiring is illegal under the