In recent years Blue Monday has become more than a catchy ‘80s tune by New Order, and is now officially recognised as the gloomiest day of the year. The third Monday every January, or Blue Monday, is officially the day when people are at their lowest.
A mix of the financial hangover post-Christmas, combined with the long dark days have shown that this is often the day when people start booking summer holidays, and making hasty decisions about their lives.
But here’s a thought: what if you didn’t make a rash decision, and instead took advantage of this year’s Blue Monday, which falls on 16th January, to find your dream job for 2023?
January is in fact the best month of the year to find a new role, as hiring managers scramble to fill vacancies from the previous year while they still have a strong budget to work from. There’s also the fact that January is when companies get real about
targets and goals for the year ahead––they set hiring budgets, restructure teams and start to round out their capabilities.
This, added to the fact that New Year resolutions can see more roles opening up as workers decide to bite the bullet and move on means that there is often a variety of roles available.
Which means if you’re strategic, Blue Monday can be the best day of the year to find a new job. So, what do you need to do first?
Identify your goals
Pinpoint why you are changing jobs. Is it for progression, increased salary, opportunity to upskill or stagnation with your current role? Each one is valid, but each one will also impact the type of jobs you apply for and, most importantly, how you perfect
your CV.
Do your research
Once you’ve identified why you want to move jobs then it’s time to do your research. Are there jobs available at that level or that salary within your sector? Do you have the skills to be considered a serious candidate? Spend some time browsing through the
Finextra Job Board to discover what jobs are actually available, what they are looking for in terms of responsibilities and competencies, and if they meet your criteria––and vice versa.
Identify your USP
Why you and why now? What value can you bring to a company? Once you know your USP then you’re better able to master the cover letter, update your socials and create an impactful CV because your “why” will be clearly visible across all platforms.
What did you achieve in your previous role that would be of interest to a new employer? How can you save them money or make them more? Why should anybody hire you? And how can you convey that information in a succinct manner? Once you’ve got your answers,
you are ready to start applying for the job you deserve.
So what are you waiting for? There are hundreds of roles already waiting to be filled on the Finextra Job Board. We’ve selected three of the most exciting opportunities below, but visit the
job board yourself to see all that’s available.
Principal Product Manager - Insurance, Monzo
As
Principal Product Manager with a focus on insurance you will lead a cross-functional team to develop and deliver a product strategy for Monzo's insurance proposition. You will be responsible for managing regulatory and governance requirements, and any partner
integrations that are necessary to deliver an incredible product experience for customers. To apply, you will need a 10-year track record of shipping successful, customer-centric digital products in a fast growing company, as well as experience on a consumer
product. Apply for the
Principal Product Manager role, or discover available roles with
Monzo.
Application Security Engineer, Zilch
As
Application Security Engineer with Zilch you will work in an agile environment with systems and data to ensure information is stored and processed securely and effectively, while assisting in ad-hoc technology support and technology-related duties. You
will have at least three years’ experience in application security, developing or securing Java Spring Boot applications and hardening Linux and/or Docker systems. Get all the info on the
Application Security Engineer job, or check out other opportunities at
Zilch.
Security Operations Analyst, GoCardless
As
Security Operations Analyst with GoCardless you will provide subject matter expertise on the company’s security detection and response capabilities ensuring a data-driven response and will be responsible for running day-to-day security operations activities.
You will have experience using SIEM (ideally Splunk) tools and you will also have a thorough understanding of information security and cloud security best practices. Apply for the
Security Operations Analyst role now, or browse all available roles at
GoCardless.
Browse all available roles on the Finextra Job Board to find your perfect fit