Yahoo Finance Job hunting tips for the holiday season
If you’re looking for a new job, recruitment experts recommend you start now rather than waiting for the new year.
And there are certain things you can do to make all the right moves towards your dream job – even during the holiday season.
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Here are the expert’s tips on how to nab yourself a new role for Christmas:
1. Use the free time to do research
“I think it’s a really good opportunity for job-seekers during this time to start doing their research and working on all the skills that they need to really need to ... beat the competition,” Indeed careers expert Jay Munro told Yahoo Finance.
Look at who’s advertising and get a good idea of what’s expected between different job ads, he added.
2. Work on your resume and cover letter
Based off that, use your research to then build customised, powerful resumes and cover letters tailored to the job description, Munro said. The time off in the holiday period gives employees the opportunity to work on these documents and preparatory work that they may not have otherwise had the chance to during the busy day-to-day grind.
3. Practice techniques with friends
Your friends will likely have some time off too – and you can use their free time to your advantage.
“It’s a good time to start practicing interview techniques with people that you know and trust,” said the careers expert.
“Use your friends and family as a good resource to get their opinion on your answers to interview questions. It’s always good to practice.”
4. Don’t network aggressively – but look for a mentor
Recruiters will likely be switched off and taking a break to spend quality time with their own family and friends, so Munro advises against reaching out to them on LinkedIn to ask for a job during this period.
However, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on the platform: again, use your available time to suss out potential mentors that you might like to reach out to when the 2020 business year kicks off.
“I think this is the ideal time for all that work you don’t get time to do usually in a job search,” he said.
5. Use social events to network
While it’s not a good idea to harangue recruiters and managers on LinkedIn on Christmas Eve, social events can also be viewed as a chance to network if you play your cards right. According to recruitment firm Michael Page, chatting with people can often open up job opportunities, or they can refer you to contacts who might have openings.
Just remember to bring along business cards with you and perfect your elevator pitch. “Have a few go-to sentences to describe yourself, your work experience, and what role you are looking for in a clear, succinct and engaging pitch,” the firm said in a post on their website.
6. Slow down and ask yourself if you really want the job
“It’s really about that introspective time of the year on reflecting on yourself, your career motivations,” Munro said.
“It’s also a good time to do reflecting on whether you do really want to change jobs, and what you really want to change to,” he added. In the daily grind, we might feel disengaged and unmotivated, and can apply for a job on a whim.
“Because of the slowing down of this time of year, it’s a good time to spend time thinking about what you really want without that time-pressure of having to submit a resume and get that process going so rapidly.”
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