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Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to get a new job? The job market right now is highly competitive so any little help you can get is necessary to land a new position.

According to Forbes, “The most in-demand jobs for the new year might be rooted in the booming computer industry, but it’s not only technical and programming chops that prospective hires should be showcasing.”

Forbes examined the ten skill-sets needed for the top jobs of 2013 compiled by  CareerBuilder. Here are the top five:

1)       Critical Thinking: It is important to be able to use logic and reasoning to find solutions to  problems at work or to tackle challenging projects.

2)       Complex Problem Solving: This is different from critical thinking in that it involves “identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions,” explains Forbes. This is the ability to take action after the “critical thinking” process.

3)      Judgment and Decision-Making: This is the ability to weigh the pros and cons of a situation and then making the appropriate decision.

4)      Active Listening: Many people have trouble with this skill. Instead of hearing only what you want to hear, listen closely to what someone is saying. According to the magazine, this is “[g]iving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting.”

5)      Computers and Electronics: Do you possess the knowledge of “circuit boards, processors, electronic equipment and computer hardware including applications and programs.” This one is a unique skill, but if you have an interest in it, it could pay off.

Other key skills that are in demand, include operations and systems analysis, computer programming, and sales and marketing.

With just over 5.4 million people receiving some type of unemployment benefit the week ended December 1, according to the Washington Post, many of them will be looking for a job in the coming weeks. Extras skills will help you stand out from the crowd — and it may mean going back to school to get them.

By Erica RivaFlowz Buddington

I’ve been there. I’ve walked through my suburban town agitated by it’s smallness and thought, “I need to get the heck up out of here.” Sidney Shaw taunted me with her brownstone in “Brown Sugar” and the depiction of rain and passion mixed in Chicago’s urban terrain had me yearning to get my “Love Jones” on.  Tapas bars, jazz clubs, underground hip-hop shows, networking, after work mixers; I knew there was a wanna-be-socialite heaven in one of United States’ big cities waiting for me.

I was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Unfortunately, I wasn’t raised there. I was uprooted at nine for a chance at better schools. My family and I moved to Long Island, NYC’s suburban area. Immersed in small town gossip and quiet, I yearned for the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Two nights ago, I finally moved back. After tenure at a college in silent Virginia and a bout back home with the parental units, I finally have something within New York City to call my own.

While flipping through the blogs of friends of friends, I’ve noticed a common yearning amongst us. It seems I’m not the only one who wants bright lights, skyscrapers and the metro. I witnessed a multitude of womanly words yearning for their day in Atlanta, Houston, L.A., Chi-town and many other resemblances of the big city. So here’s how:

1. You should start saving. Some people have this illusion that the minute you step on the pavement of the big city, fame and fortune will come to you and record labels, publishers or their new corporate job will take care of the rest. Nope, not at all. Create a budget projecting how much you’ll need to spend each month, make each month and save each month. Start off with a savings of about $3,000-5,000; this will help when fending off rental broker fees, hunger pains and tips for overeager food deliverymen.

2. You’ll need a secured gig. This economy is no joke and even if we were still in the Clinton era, you’d still need a job the minute you get here. Unless you have family/friends that are willing to let you sleep on their couch or in the guest bedroom; don’t speed here to start looking for a job the next morning. Even with a start off fund, you’ll need a gig to keep your head above water. Shoot freelance queries to blogs/publications for some extra side money, apply for certification if you’re taking the substitute/teacher route, find internships and/or find something that’ll keep the lights on until you’re discovered.

3. Don’t wait to be discovered. While keeping the lights on, make serious connections. There are plenty of conferences, events, rare bookstores, open mic spots and more in metropolitan areas. Your kind dwells here. Just look for someone with your attire, a Starbucks cup in hand and goals written all over their face. Networking and surrounding yourself with positive ambition oriented persons is the one of the fastest routes to the top.

4. Pick your borough. I have a friend from Iowa who loves Fat Joe and decided, from a few rap lyrics, she was going to move to the Bronx, New York for her big move. The problem is, she works in Queens. Regretfully, she does a 2-4 hour commute back and forth to work everyday. Use Google maps to find the distance from your desired borough, check out the train/car routes to get there and make sure it’s conducive to your agenda. Come visit before you sign any leases or make any promises! Make sure the spot you’ve chosen is right for you.

5. Go get your spot. Ha! Rentals in big cities can go anywhere from $1,500 to a cool hundred grand. I don’t think so. Unless you’ve got some secret trust fund or just won the lotto, I’ve got some other suggestions for you. Search Craigslist or other real estate related websites for sweet deals. You can rent anything, from a $1,500 cute studio, to a $1,200 ground floor of a two-family residence. Make sure you can envision your writing, painting, planning, meditation etc. area before you say, “I’ll take it!”

If you’re feeling particularly depressed about your work and location, maybe it’s time to move. CareerBliss gives a list of the happiest and unhappiest cities to work in around the nation. For those that feel unhappy in their situation, take a look and see if your city ended up on this list.

At the top of the list is Miami, Florida. This is the second year in a row that Miami has earned the number one spot on the list. The busy, vibrant city known as a popular vacation spot has a 4.14 bliss rating on CareerBliss’ scale from 1-5. The average salary here is $53,764. Heidi Golledge, the chief executive of Career Bliss, tells Forbes that tourism, international trade, and international banking are Miami’s leading business sectors. Over the past year, travel and leisure employees have enjoyed an increase in happiness.

Worcester, MA and Oklahoma City, OK come in second and third on the list with a 4.106 and a 4.105 bliss rating prospectively. Employees in these two cities enjoy an average salary of around $54,000. If you choose the fourth happiest city, San Jose, CA, you may stand to make about $83,000.

On the other side, the unhappiest city to work in is New Haven, CT. So for those of you thinking on taking that promotion in this city, you may want to reconsider. New Haven received a 3.465 bliss ratings. Employees here make an average of $62,604. The problem in this city seems to be a lack of “industry diversification.”

“As the city of New Haven moves from a former manufacturing environment to one led by health care and education, many employees feel there to be a limited number of industries, and that affects overall growth opportunities for employees,” CareerBliss chief technology officer Matt Miller tells Forbes.

Next on the list of ill-fated cities to work in is Dayton, Ohio with a 3.669 rating. Here employees stand to make $58,160 on average. Milwaukee, WI is third on the list with a 3.687 rating and an average salary of $52,425. The cold from some of these cities isn’t just from the lack of opportunities; it’s also from the physical environment. You may have noticed that between the happiest cities and the unhappiest cities, there is also a big difference in weather temperature.

But Golledge tells Forbes that “it is not a city’s attractions or overall culture that truly affect employee happiness in a region. The overall growth opportunity and company culture lead to happy employees.”

For a complete list of the cities on CareerBliss’ list click here.