The Holiday Job Hunting Season
July 3rd, 2008The Holiday Job Hunting Season
copyright (c) 2007 by Kevin Donlin
The conventional job-search wisdom used to be that, if you
weren’t hired by late October, you were out of luck until
after the first of the year.
But times have changed.
Today, there are plenty of jobs to be had between Thanksgiving
and the middle of January, according to human resource expert
Susan M. Heathfield.
“During the holiday season, you enjoy reduced competition for
jobs and easier access to decision makers who are actually in
the office,” says Heathfield.
This is due, in part, to the global talent shortage, which has
made it harder for employers to attract top talent. “If good
candidates show up during the holiday season, we’re finding
that management will take the time to see them. In the past,
they might have told them to come back in January,” says
Michael Jalbert, President of executive search firm MRINetwork.
Jalbert gives three reasons not to slack off in your job search
during the holidays:
1) Departments are often under pressure to fill openings before
year’s end to secure their remaining budget and headcount
allocations.
2) While the number of advertised positions tends to decrease
during the holidays, those that do appear are often
high-priority jobs that must be filled quickly.
3) You will likely face less competition because many other
job seekers have taken a break from their search.
With this in mind, here are two ways to connect with your next
job during the holiday season …
1) Party with a Plan
There are more parties and social events during the holidays
than usual, which means more opportunities for you to make new
contacts and renew old ones.
Since you never know which conversation will produce your next
job lead, you should attend as many events as you can reasonably
fit into your calendar, according to Heathfield.
“You don’t want to be obnoxious about your job search and
aggravate friends and relatives. But, do prepare a brief
statement that tells people you are looking for a job and the
kind of job you seek,” suggests Heathfield.
Carry business cards, along with paper and a pen for taking
notes. After every networking conversation, jot down the key
points, then enter them into some kind of database at the end
of the evening, for follow-up later.
Whether it’s a box of 3×5 cards or a $500 PDA, use whatever
tools you need to manage your networking contacts.
2) Send a Card with a Difference
We all get greeting cards in December. For most of us, the charm
wears off after about the first 20 or so. That means, if you
hope to stand out by sending a holiday card to hiring managers
and other folks who are inundated with mail, you probably won’t.
So, why not send a Happy New Year’s card instead? After all,
when’s the last time you got one of those in the mail?
Send your new year’s cards on December 31, to arrive on or
about January 2.
Send them to hiring managers and well-connected friends. And use
real cards, like those sold at www.Hallmark.com, with real
stamps. Because emailing a greeting card is about as effective
as emailing a steak sandwich.
One final bit of encouragement for job seekers: some industry
sectors could see an up-tick in hiring in December, according to
Jalbert. “Construction companies in Southern California, for
example, are just starting to staff up to rebuild the $1.5
billion in homes that were destroyed in this summer’s fires,”
he says.
Jalbert also sees strong demand for such fields as chemical
and mechanical engineering, and information technology, as the
U.S. dollar continues to drop, causing jobs from Europe and
Canada to filter into the United States.
So if you’re looking for a new job, don’t take a holiday from
your search just because it’s December. Get out, get busy, get
connected, and get hired.
Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes and the creator
of GetHiredNow.TV. Since 1996, he has provided job search
assistance to nearly 10,000 people. Author of “51 Ways to Find
a Job Fast — Guaranteed,” Kevin has been interviewed by USA
Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others.
His latest product, The Instant Job Search System, is available
at http://www.career-related.com/instant-job-search.html