Here they are:
1. Get clear on what it is you want. You know how hiring managers often create an ideal candidate profile? You might want to create, and maintain, an ideal boss/team/job profile. This will keep you focused in 2019.
2. Keep a hit list. Not of your enemies, though, but of organizations which meet your ideal profile and, crucially, hiring managers. Keep adding to it. And try to take one small action every day that puts you on these hiring managers' radars as someone they'd like to "poach" and bring onto their team.
3. Monitor job boards and other places where organizations advertise employment opportunities. Even better, set up automated systems that alert you when something new shows up that meets your ideal profile. Why? Because in the public job market, the early bird gets the worm.
4. Send out fewer resumes and cover letters, but make sure that every application you do send out is: (a) for an opportunity that matches your idea profile; and (b) tailored to the requirements and language of the hiring managers' ideal candidate profile (which you should research). Whenever possible, skip HR altogether and connect with the hiring manager (or another human being) directly.
5. Invest in growing your circle of competence. Learn new skills. Attend conferences and seminars. Accumulate small and large certifications. Read industry magazines. Don't stay up-to-date; stay ahead of the curve.
6. Invest in growing your circle of relationships. Go outside more. Get involved in your community. Volunteer for your office's party committee, as it gives you an "excuse" to reach out to and get to know your boss's colleagues and superiors. Attend conferences and seminars. Find local meetups.
7. Ask for help. Share your goals with other people you trust. Ask them for advice. Listen to what they say. Ask for introductions. Follow up and treat all such introductions with respect. Ask them to keep a weather eye out for the kind of opportunities you seek. Always respond to their "heads up" emails.
There you are.
Seven habits that will set you up for your next success.
Now is the PERFECT time to make them part of your routine.
Every day, first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening before you go home, do something that moves you forward on one of these fronts.
Invest 30 minutes or so, and you'll reap the rewards later.
You know Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People?