'Tis the Season to Get a New Job!
Despite this festive, busy season full of vacations and indulgent family meals, companies ARE still searching for qualified candidates!
Between family vacations, and present opening, it’s apparent that companies are still very interested in finding talent to assist in their growing companies. While most people are putting off doing anything productive and dishonoring their New Year’s resolutions until 2014, here are a few good reasons why you should be looking for a job right now:
Good talent stands out and differentiates itself from the hohoho-humdrum (sorry couldn’t resist). Depending on the amount of time job seekers have on their hands and the company, there will be an increase or decrease in job openings and applications. Nevertheless, don’t waste time! Holiday hires are not just limited to seasonal hires. Some employers choose to hire at the end of the year due to their being less going on at the time. This will give them time to focus on assessing candidates, so make sure to be ready. Job searching during the holidays shows that you’re interested, which is great because hiring managers have more time to spend on you! Keep in mind that because the season is filled with Christmas parties, and other happenings, a hiring process that would usually take a few weeks might take longer. Make sure to regularly check your emails and voicemails for communication from potential employers and respond in a timely manner. You don’t want to let a potential employer think you are ignoring their efforts to contact you.
You can potentially be a value add to a potential employer’s bottom line. Hiring managers and recruiters can be too distracted by holiday events, vacation time and family obligations to look at applications and résumés during the holiday season, however they could be planning to hire in 2014. There are lots of companies that have goals for the new year that need new employees to meet those goals. Even if you too are busy with seasonal activities, you should focus on making yourself available to snag the opportunities that others miss out on due to the busy nature of the holiday season. It is still very much a “buyers” market and there will be plenty of applicants available. If you are looking for a job, but will be away from home, Be sure to offer a good contact number to a potential employer or, even better, a Skype or FaceTime interview. This shows interest and flexibility, which is never a negative! No matter what, you should always be honest and upfront about your holiday plans and respectful of of your potential employers’ schedules. The holiday season is a great time to be interviewed. Since things tend to be quiet during this period, you may be able receive more time and attention than normal.
Networking during the holidays can begin to open doors for you, the job seeker. Use this to your advantage. There are so many events during this festive time to meet and network with different people capable of hiring or introducing you to other key people. Even your friends can help connect you. Consider asking a friend to attend their company’s holiday party to help you with leads. Don’t be too blatant in your efforts, though! You don’t want to come across as tacky! Simply use it as an opportunity to meet more people and open doors in for the future. Sending out holiday cards is also a nice touch. A holiday card with a short handwritten can be quite useful! Just make sure the card is nothing too personal like a portrait of you or your child/pets. Also, make sure it doesn’t have any religious over tones because you don’t want to offend anyone. Finally, present yourself professionally, remember what you say and who you speak to and don’t become a nuisance. Happy holiday job hunting!
