So we are just a few days from the beginning of a new year.  A new decade no less.

In anticipation of this, I began to wonder today about what this might mean for many of you.  For me.  And for this blog.

Many of you have been knee-deep in your search for a good chunk of 2009.  And that deep involvement often brings a lack of perspective.  Days turn into weeks.  Weeks into months.  And sometimes this involves doing the same things over and over with results that do not satisfy.

And if this sounds like you.  If you feel like your efforts are not delivering the right results. Maybe it is time for a re-start.

But let's be clear.  A re-start in this case doesn't mean that you've wasted the time so far.  It means you'd like to take the effort and results to date and re-purpose them.  Refresh them into new objectives or expose your personal brand to more people.

I was inspired to write this post by my 10 year old son.  You see, he let the holidays get to him.  He and I had a little father and son tussle.  And if you have kids, you know that they like to test the boundaries and see what they can get away with.  This is the same son that many of you may remember from this post.

Our fight was a brief one.  And the make-up was even briefer.  All captured within a few minutes via text messaging.  Before he lost his new cell phone.  Here it was:

Son:  "I hate you"

Son:  "Can we start over?"

Son:  "Fine"

Now if this looks like a one way conversation.  It was.  He initiated the make-up communication (i hate you), offered a solution (can we start over) and resolved the conflict (fine) all on his own.  I simply walked up to his room, gave him a hug and said "OK".

But starting fresh isn't always this simple.  First you have to determine if a new start is for you.  If you are willing to take the step.  Often someone needs to convince you of the need.  Especially if you have a few lingering leads simmering still from before the holidays.  And you are feeling optimistic that baby new year has it's eye on you.

For those of you who still need some convincing, here are 7 reasons to press "re-start" on your job search.

1.  You find yourself networking with the same people every week.

2.  You feel like your resume and cover letter are tired and uninspiring. 

3.  You never really bought into social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).

4.  You are still using the same vague job search objectives ("looking for a stable company").

5.  Your confidence was draining prior to the holidays and now, well . . .

6.  You haven't had an interview (phone or otherwise) in weeks.

7.  You struggle to answer the question "How's your search coming along?"

Regardless of why, you should be open to a "re-start".  A chance to evaluate your progress to date.  But, more important, to pick a few areas (or the whole lot) to refresh for 2010.

And, as I wrote this post today.  I realized that to finish here would be to leave you hanging.  Without some ideas as to what aspects of your search you should consider refreshing and how.  So I'll write that one too here in a few minutes and post it later this week.  OK?

If YOU have a few minutes, I'd love to get your list of reasons (one is OK too) of why a refresh makes sense.  What have you got?

Or you can tell me about one single area in your job search that needs help.  I'm listening.