Forbes - Get Job-Search Ready In 15 Days

Plus: Position yourself for a promotion in 15 days

If you’re searching for a new job, you’re in luck: This is a job hunter’s market. Whether you’re a recent college graduate trying to secure your first full-time position or a seasoned professional looking to take your career to the next level, we want to help you land your next job.

Day 1: Establish your “why”

Americans are more optimistic about the employment landscape than ever before, with 65% saying that now is a prime time to find a job. Before you decide to jump ship, take a moment to make sure you’re doing so for all the right reasons.

Day 2: Define your dream job

So, you've found yourself in the job market. You might be tempted to jump in to polish your résumé and start networking, but before you do that, connect with your authentic self and dream.

Day 3: Get to know the job market

The job market is notoriously inefficient. If you can't count on an efficient job market to find the right job, what can you do to uncover it yourself?

Day 4: Leverage your network

If you're operating alone and in a vacuum, you're blunting your success. Here are five strategies for growing and leveraging your network to land exciting opportunities.

Day 5: Update your résumé

It seems like a total no-brainer: you should update your résumé and online profiles when you are job-hunting. But there's more to consider besides just adding your latest position and maybe dropping old or irrelevant ones.

Day 6: Refresh your digital footprint

If you're looking for a job, you will be Googled. Follow these three steps to boost your online identity so recruiters and hiring managers want to meet you.

Day 7: Secure your references

You may feel the reference-checking process is out of your control, but there are a few steps you can take to increase your chances of receiving a favorable review.

Day 8: Round up the extras

Using LinkedIn and Google, employers can find much of the information they need to make hiring decisions. But there are situations when coming prepared with traditional items can benefit both sides in a job hunt.

Day 9: Master the art of reaching out

Need help with your job hunt, but feel awkward about asking contacts? Follow these simple steps to increase your chances of getting help while strengthening relationships.

Day 10: Consider recruiters

It's been said that job hunting can be a full-time job in and of itself, so it's no wonder why so many professionals turn to recruiters for assistance. This is your guide to selecting a professional who can not only assist you in your job search now, but in the future as well.

Day 11: Start telling stories

When interviewing, you must consider what you bring to the table. But listing your skills isn’t enough. Instead of rattling off each of the bullet points on your résumé, leverage your key talents and craft a narrative about your career

Day 12: Learn how to say what you want

It's a simple question, and you've probably answered it hundreds of times: "What do you do?" If you're like most people, you probably get the answer completely wrong.

Day 13: Prepare responses to difficult questions

When questioned about a sticking point in your career history, remember your “ACT”: be authentic, make a connection and give others a taste of who you really are. You want to show a career path that looks like a staircase, leading you higher, but when that’s not your reality, you must own it.

Day 14: Position yourself to get poached

Being poached happens more frequently than you might think. But how do you become a candidate who recruiters want introduce to opportunities? You need to understand how recruiters find potential hires, and then make yourself discoverable and desirable to the recruiters looking for what you do.

Day 15: Don’t let adversity get you down

Even in the most candidate-friendly employment market, it's unlikely that you won't encounter at least one, painful setback over the course of your job hunt. You may not be able to control the obstacles you face, but you can choose how you react to them.