Job Search Tips for Holiday Season Beat Conventional Wisdom

Dec. 12, 2010 - PRLog -- People really do get hired between Thanksgiving and the middle of January! Don’t buy into the myth that it can’t happen for you. The holiday time actually provides great opportunities for job seekers. If you’ve found yourself mumbling, “I need help with my resume,” then a professional resume and cover letter may be the best gifts you can give this time of year. What are some other worthwhile  career improvement endeavors

Network While Celebrating

• Take advantage of the business socializing opportunities during the holiday season. At events, casually let friends and extended family know you are job hunting. Briefly discuss your career while connecting with people. Follow up later with each person. Attend other parties and networking events: open houses, association meetings, school events and friend’s work parties.

• Send appropriate greeting cards to people with whom you have interviewed recently and to any of your friends who are well-connected. Enclose your business card.

Businesses Don’t Grind to a Halt during the Holidays

• If a job is available, employers still search from late November through December. Keep checking classifieds and online job boards. Check company websites of employers for whom you’d like to work and professional association websites for advertised positions.

• Many job seekers suspend their search during the holidays. This can mean that employers needing to hire full-time employees for the coming year receive fewer applications during that time. That can help your application stand out.

• Many hiring managers are not so busy during the holidays, because employees are taking vacation time. This gives the managers more time to interview candidates.

• Hiring managers experience urgency about staffing toward the end of the year. They don’t want to begin the new year with their team not fully staffed. Interviews for anyone who starts working early in the year must have been in November or December. Companies that have budgeted for first-quarter hiring have to be starting the process now.

• Temporary agencies receive increased employer requests as companies work to meet annual goals and employees use vacation time. Keep in mind that seasonal work during the holidays can open doors to full-time jobs.

Keep your spirits up by having a job-searching schedule requiring you to accomplish at least one task each day. Positive action every day will keep you feeling upbeat. If you work the job market and others don't, you will have the advantage of less competition. You'll stand out, and that is when you can succeed.

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About Shimmering Resumes: A nationwide resume writing, career counseling, and outplacement business, with its website at www.ShimmeringResumes.com. Paul Freiberger, President of Shimmering Resumes, is an award-winning author, business writer, and communications specialist.