Make this the year

Many of us use the New Year as a time to change aspects of our lives for the better. Declaring resolutions for the year ahead when filled with festive spirit is easy enough, but turning them into reality can present challenges. With this in mind, we've produced a handy Top Tips document offering advice on how to get the job you want so that 2007 will be the year you'll be happy at work.

Past meets present - We conducted research last year to look at the challenges of jobseeking in the UK. The findings, published in our White Paper 'In Pursuit of Happiness,' revealed that details of your past work experience are often less important than your ability to adapt to a new environment. We recommend that you carefully consider and highlight what you achieved in past roles, rather than focusing on the time and place where you did so.

The drive to succeed - When preparing for an interview, think less about what you know and more about what drives you. This includes your motivations, desires and ideals. Also think about these areas for your potential employer. If you know what values the company stands for, you are more likely to fit in your new workplace and feel happy and motivated about the work you are doing.

Culture club - Update your CV to include a section with detailed reference to your ideals, beliefs or personality. This will enable potential employers to gauge if you will fit in with the workplace culture - an issue more important than you think, as 67% of organisations have released employees after their probation period due to incompatible personalities. If you find a company with a culture that complements what you are about, both you and your employer will benefit. To find out what type of culture would suit you best, go online and take our Personal Profiles test.

You have the power - Our survey of UK jobseekers revealed that three out of four workers believe it is up to them to balance the demands of their work and life, not that of their employer or the government. We advise that you balance your work and life in the way that best works for you. For example, if logging on early morning to check your emails before nine suits your working style or working the traditional 9-5 is more your preference stick to it and don't be swayed by colleagues' behaviour.

Best practice - When signing up with a recruitment agency it will make your life easier if you chose one that has been recognised for best practice by fellow job hunters. We launched RecruitRank - a feedback system that enables you to anonymously comment on your experiences of working with recruitment agencies - with the aim of raising recruitment industry standards. Each time you apply for a vacancy you can comment on how you felt the process went. The feedback is then compiled to create the RecruitRank top ten, updated daily on our homepage: www.jobsite.co.uk. By choosing a recruitment agency that offers good customer service, you should find that the process of getting a new job is made a lot easier.

If you want more tips on how to make the process of finding a new, great job easier - or how to change things to work better for you in your current workplace, visit www.jobsite.co.uk where you will find a Career Kit containing advice on a variety of topics related to finding happiness at work.