7 Reasons to Look for a Job in the New Year

If you’re uninspired at work, want to get away from a difficult boss, feel burned-out in your current position, or are simply ready to make a career change, finding a new job should be  your number-one New Year’s resolution.

You’ll be in good company as a career or job goal is frequently one of the top 10 New Year’s resolutions.1 The other list toppers? Living healthier, personal improvement or happiness, and improving personal finances. When you find the right job, achieving several of those resolutions could become attainable. Using the free Job Seeker services on ZipRecruiter makes it easy to start searching for jobs in your field or get more information if you’re considering changing roles or industries.

Excited about the possibilities? Here are more reasons why you should look to see what’s out there—even if you think you’re happy where you are.

January is a great time to look for a new job and take action on a career change because companies have new budgets for the year and look to fill their hiring quotas in the first few months. 

When you sign up with a free account at ZipRecruiter, you’ll be put in front of relevant jobs that suit you best.2 The site automatically populates a list of recommended jobs based on your résumé—so you can kick-start the application process into high gear right away. ZipRecruiter has over 17.5 million jobs posted each month, so there’s a good chance you can find one that piques your interest.

Knowing how your salary stacks up can be helpful whether you’re looking to negotiate a raise or search for a new position at another company. Get real salaries from real companies in your area in seconds by searching ZipRecruiter’s salary tool. One study3 found that 71 percent of candidates increased their salary when they found a job on ZipRecruiter.

With high inflation taxing the average American’s household budget—about $430 more a month than a year ago4—you may have realized that your current salary isn’t cutting it. When “bringing home the bacon” needs to account for the soaring cost of bacon—and other groceries—a new, higher-paying job could help alleviate some of those financial stressors.

Whether your job involves sales numbers, client acquisition, audience growth, or cost savings, having a year’s worth of data from 2022 to share with hiring managers during the interview makes it easy to show off your skills and capabilities. Be prepared to share how you crushed your sales goals, brought in new business, improved client retention numbers, grew social media audiences, and saved the company money.

Did you run out of vacation days midyear? Wish your employer had a health savings account, employee match, or better dental plan? You could be getting more from a company while working the same hours if they have better benefits. Some job benefits to look for at a new company would be more paid time off, flexible schedules, employee discounts, bonuses, matching 401k contributions, robust health insurance programs, and career development training.

Maybe you are looking for a remote work job, a hybrid working environment, or you’re ready to go back to an office or job environment full-time. If you sampled some of these situations during the pandemic and realized one of these flexible work options is a better fit for your life, explore different work opportunities using free job seeker services at ZipRecruiter, the number-one hiring site in the U.S.*

The first few weeks after the holidays are quieter in many businesses. Take advantage of a slower pace and put your mental energy into looking for a new job or career. Update your résumé, work on a cover letter, and spend a few hours each week looking for new jobs, learning about other positions for which your skills might be applicable, and letting your network know that you’re open to finding a new job. Maximize your time by using ZipRecruiter’s ‘1 Click Apply’ feature and subscribing to Job Alerts when a new position that might be a fit is posted.

Get started on your 2023 job search now at ZipRecruiter.