Job Search Tips for the Holiday Season

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Even though the holiday season is synonymous with happiness, excitement, handfuls of gifts and delicious meals; it is still one of the most stressful times of the year, especially if you are looking for a job.

If you’re looking for work in certain industries—like retail—then the holidays can be a great time to find a job, as employers make seasonal hires. But what if you’re looking for work in an industry that does not follow seasonal holiday trends?

Here are some tips for how you can make the most of your job search during the busy holiday season.

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The Best Time to Job Search

Typically, the beginning of the year marks a fresh financial start for companies. With renewed budgets, companies have the “green light” to start looking for new employees—which can make January and February one of the busiest times of year for hiring.

That isn’t much help if you’re job searching in November. But there are still ways for you to improve your job search chances during the holidays.

Look for Contract Work

Contract work is usually a job whose duration is limited to a certain period of time. Employers offer contract positions when they have special projects that need extra support, or (as can happen at the end of the year) when they need to hire someone but don’t yet have the budget for a permanent hire.

Although your ultimate goal is to find permanent employment, a contract position can be a great way to gain real world experience and to get your foot in the door. Contract work can also be a chance to turn your contract into a full-time position with the company.

It is not uncommon to gain a full-time position in a company if you first start off on a contract. If you are consistently meeting or even exceeding expectations and also if company’s budget allows for it next year, there is a chance to turn your contract into a full-time position.

Update Your Resume

If you’re looking for a position (permanent or contract) but can’t find anything, you can still use the holidays to improve your chances of landing a job when one becomes available.

When it comes to job searching, a well-written resume can be one of your best assets. But, if you haven’t updated your resume recently with new experiences, credentials, or skills you learned throughout the year, then the holiday season is a perfect opportunity for you to do so. It’s best to have a recently updated version of your resume before the “hiring surge” of January and February.

Looking for resume help? Want to learn tips and tricks that can help get your resume “seen” by hiring managers? Contact us today.

Re-Connect with Your Network

The holiday season is a great time to re-connect with the people in your network. You might have been busy throughout the year, and may not have had the opportunity to keep-up with your network. With the holidays approaching, now is an easy way for you to start conversation and re-connect with your connections before year-end.

Networking has many benefits for job seekers including the ability to find new job opportunities through your connections. With the holiday season approaching, take your time to re-connect with your network; learn from their experiences over the past year, share your thoughts and ideas, build stronger relationships with them – and maybe your connections can open new doors for you.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of networking, register for our next Networking Workshop:

Although there might not be as many jobs in your industry in November and December as in January and February; this does not mean that you should stop your job search completely.

Looking for a job during the holidays can be stressful, but by re-engaging with your network, updating your resume and continuing on with your job search, you can give yourself a better chance of finding a job in the new year.

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