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&lt;p&gt;Ah, Spring. A time of new beginnings and vigorous cleaning. We can smell the sunshine and Pinesol already!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But as you flip your mattress and give your walls a sponge bath, don&#39;t forget a key area to re-evaluate: your job search.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If reported job gains from the BLS can be believed, things are improving. It&#39;s been a hard winter, but the light is visible at the end of the tunnel, and it&#39;s all natural, Tulip-nurturing sunbeams. So leave your past efforts behind: this Spring is all about renewed energy, fresh starts, and, if your budget allows, maybe a fabulous new interview suit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&#39;s where to start: &#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Sweep Out the Old&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As everyone knows, the first step of spring cleaning is trashing the old, broken, and no longer needed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For your job search, that&#39;s the following:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-Ancient , irrelevant job listings on your resume &lt;br /&gt;-&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/creative-the-most-overused-linked-in-buzzword-2011/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Jargon or hackneyed buzz words in your cover letter or CV&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;-&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/deleting-your-facebook-party-photos-not-so-fast/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Inappropriate pictures&lt;/a&gt; or comments on social media accounts &lt;br /&gt;-Ill fitting, worn, or of-another-decade interview attire &lt;br /&gt;-&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/tips-for-getting-back-on-your-feet-after-a-layoff/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Emotional baggage from your last job&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do a spot check, and delete, delete, delete. There, doesn&#39;t that feel better?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Organize Your Efforts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just like you&#39;d hit The Container Store for decluttering, get serious about organizational tools for your job search. Buy a new calendar, if you haven&#39;t already, or a date book. Then immediately write in &quot;appointments&quot; for free time to spend checking jobs boards and sending out resumes, pre-fill in dates for &lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/how-to-find-job-fair-success/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;job fairs&lt;/a&gt; and networking events, and set a goal of a once a week coffee or lunch date with a contact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again, just like drawer dividers remind you put your socks away, a weekly visual reminder to use your time well can keep on track with your job search. Also helpful: those Outlook alerts to remind you to check on resumes you sent out or send thank you notes. And if a business card organizer will encourage you to call those contacts, get one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Polish Your Resume (and Toss Your &quot;Default&quot; Cover Letter)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, you&#39;ve removed &lt;a href=&quot;/blog/resumes-cover-letters/why-you-should-avoid-resume-clich%C3%A9s/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;jargon&lt;/a&gt; and your high-school stint at McDonalds from your resume. Now it&#39;s time to take it to the next level. Think of the job you want. Google it. Read &quot;want ads&quot; for the position.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your goal is to get a target employer to read your CV and hear &quot;This person&#39;s perfect for the job!&quot; screaming from the page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now over &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; job descriptions with that in mind. What can you focus on in each role you&#39;ve played that relates to the Dream Job?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In that spirit, go ahead and delete your cover letter template (yes, we know you have one). If you heard two songs in the same key, you&#39;d never try to sing the same lyrics to both—it just wouldn&#39;t fit. So why sing the same job song twice, for different roles? Every position (and company!) is different, thus, every letter of introduction should be. A cover letter is a fresh chance to make a pitch perfect impression. Don&#39;t squander it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Restock Your Supply Closet&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Resume stock isn&#39;t one of those things you think about until the morning of an interview. Spare yourself a frantic run to target—get everything you need, including a new portfolio, Thank-You notes, resume paper, business cards, work samples or letters of recommendation, and of course, printed copies of your spiffy new resume to have at the ready.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While you&#39;re at it, check your closet for interview attire. Whether your old faithful are looking a bit worse for wear or just plain too winter-y, consider springing for new duds. A new khaki or grey suit hanging in your closet might renew your zest for job hunting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Update Your Basics&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clean up your online act: take stock of your social media profiles and what&#39;s out of date (or, heaven forbid, inappropriate), and what&#39;s missing. Start with Linked in, re-reading your job descriptions (again, if the position you&#39;re on the hunt for has changed, so should your write ups), add new photos (volunteer work! That conference in September!) and link any recent work you&#39;ve had hit the company website or articles you&#39;ve been mentioned in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might also want to look into &lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/5-tips-for-using-new-technology-to-find-a-job/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;new means of networking online&lt;/a&gt;, with an &lt;a href=&quot;/blog/resumes-cover-letters/the-pros-and-cons-of-infographic-resumes/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;infographic resume&lt;/a&gt;, a profile on Pinterest or LinkedIn groups you&#39;ve been meaning to join. And don&#39;t forget to participate; cultivating and active web presence, whether it&#39;s through efficient tweeting or chatting on group boards, is key to your visibility.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bonus: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here&#39;s your no-excuses reading list for job-searching this spring:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/resumes-cover-letters/4-ways-to-write-a-more-effective-resume/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;4 Ways to Write a More Effective Resume&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/tips-for-getting-back-on-your-feet-after-a-layoff/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tips for Getting Back On Your Feet After a Layoff&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/should-you-take-a-social-media-course/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Should You Take a Social Media Course?&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/5-tips-for-using-new-technology-to-find-a-job/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;5 Tips for Using New Technology to Find a Job&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/resumes-cover-letters/tips-for-creating-great-cover-letters/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tips for Creating Great Cover Letters&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/resumes-cover-letters/3-reasons-your-cover-letters-are-being-ignored/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;3 Reasons Your Cover Letters Are Being Ignored&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/how-to-find-job-fair-success/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;How to Find Job Fair Success&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/blog/job-search/5-tips-for-finding-a-job-youll-love/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;5 Tips For Finding a Job You&#39;ll Love&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;--Cathy Vandewater, Vault.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Cathy Vandewater

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