There is one month to the start of a new year. For some that will mean a new exercise regimen, for others it will mean scheduling time to volunteer, and for yet others it will mean it’s time to look for a new job or career opportunity. For the latter, start now by giving yourself a social media check-up.

Make a list of all of your social media sites and then do the following:

• Check your privacy settings – who can see what?
• Remove any inappropriate pictures
• Remove any posts where you have said less than flattering things about your boss, department, company, etc. (avoid these types of post in the future)

Once you have done that, take time and go through each site (other than LinkedIn) and ask yourself what message you are trying to send or convey. According to Career Builder, 70% of employers check social media before offering to interview a potential candidate. There is nothing wrong with posting pictures of your cat or your children, but since 24% of those employers are looking for reasons to narrow the list, extreme political views or wild weekend pictures will likely get you cut from the short list. You can’t cultivate your Twitter feed or your Instagram page or Facebook persona over night, but you can remove aspects of it, or going back to my initial recommendation, you can ensure those images, etc. are 100% private.

LinkedIn is a different story because you can make sweeping changes at any moment to better reflect who you are or who you hope to become. And since 61% of employers are looking to see if potential candidates are qualified for the position, they are doing so on LinkedIn. Review your current position and add in any additional responsibilities you may have taken on since you last updated your profile. Add in volunteer work, writing samples, professional development experience, awards, distinctions, or other achievements as well. Make sure you tell your story well!

但这还不够。接下来，你必须考虑你的职业目标。对于你们中的一些人来说，这可能很容易，因为你们打算留在同一个行业，并在另一家公司申请一个更高的职位。对其他人来说，你的改变可能更复杂，比如行业变动。后者需要更仔细地管理你的个人资料。你需要梳理出支持这一举动的经验，并确保它在你的个人资料中得到突出显示。

你还没说完。现在，是时候开始加入领英和其他社交媒体网站了，在那里你可以和同事联系，换句话说，就是建立关系网。请记住，某些行业使用一种形式的社交媒体而不是另一种。例如，出版业使用Twitter和Facebook。在这种情况下，您需要确保关注出版商、代理商和作者，并在twitter上发布相关主题。JDB电子、娱乐和酒店也使用社交媒体，但你不太可能发现银行家或保险专业人士通过社交媒体网站开展业务。因此，做你的JDB电子研究。对于更传统的行业，你可以通过LinkedIn观看他们，喜欢他们的帖子等等，或者更好的是，在LinkedIn上创建你自己的帖子。

现在完成社交媒体检查，当1月1日来临，你开始认真找工作时，你就准备好了。

最好的，