Job seeking during the holidays: use the time to research and prepare

Miriam Salpeter — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:19:58 +0000

In an effort to convince you to ramp up your job search efforts during the holidays, I’m sharing ideas and insights from some of my colleagues and friends during this holiday week and next.Ã‚Â Today, I am happy to share some insights from my colleague and fellow Career Collective member, GL Hoffman. GL is Chairman of JobDig and writes at www.whatwoulddadsay.com, JobDig.com, and is a weekly guest writer at US News and World Report.

I’m not surprised that GL’s advice includes a reference to his job board, LinkUp! I often refer candidates to review LinkUp as a tool in their job search arsenel. If you’re keeping up with this series, you’ll note a similarity between Walter Akana’s advice in part 2 and GL’s today – it may not matter if there are jobs to be found out there right now. What matters is that you are out there looking for them!

GL shares his suggestions:

Everyone says the holidays is a terrible time to search for a job. Ã‚Â This may or may not be right. Ã‚Â Companies may have identified some new initiatives for after the new year, for example, and are starting now to identify some quality candidates. Often, the FIRST place these jobs show up is on the company’s own website, inside their career page. Ã‚Â Of course, www.LINKUP.com is a fantastic place to start because only jobs from company sites are there. Ã‚Â Think of LinkUp as the only true job search engine.

For those who are convinced this IS a bad time of year, what better time than to sharpen your skills and identify exactly the companies you want to work for.

If you do send out resumes during this time, always a sure fire way to spice up your resume and cover letter is to actually DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE COMPANY. Ã‚Â Or, you can do research on any issue that is being confronted by the company.

And then, REFER to this issue in your cover letter. Ã‚Â This technique will move you to the top of the pile.

Some may say…what exactly Ã‚Â do you mean?

Like: “I noted that the city is dropping local waste service for your manufacturing plants, here is how I would have responded…”

The OBVIOUS thing is that it does NOT make any difference what the issue might be, or if you comment is even particularly noteworthy. Ã‚Â Your investment in time alone will elevate your standing.

I appreciate this take on the subject – being involved in a job search is about more than just looking for opportunities; it is also a matter of connecting what you have to offer with what the organization needs. If, in fact, your industry is so slow now that no one is even in the office and networking is totally futile, take some time to do some research. You can still propel your search forward and be up-to-date when the time is right.

Are you relaxing or revving up your job hunt during the holidays? Share in the comments!

Part 1 – My suggestions and a free ebook offer

Part 2 – Walter Akana – take care of yourself

Part 3 – Anita Bruzzese – Stay ahead of the crowd

Part 4 – Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter – Unplug and embrace rest

Part 5 – Wendy Enelow – Ideas for employed and unemployed job seekers

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching? Ã‚Â If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

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Ideas for employed and unemployed job seekers for the holidays

Miriam Salpeter — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:13:06 +0000

In an effort to convince you to ramp up your job search efforts during the holidays (look below for links to part 1,Ã‚Â 2, 3 and 4),Ã‚Â I’m sharing ideas and insights from some of my colleagues and friends during this holiday week and next. Today, I’m happy to share some thoughts from Wendy Enelow, author, trainer and career consultant with 28 years of experience in the careers and employment industry.

Here are some of her ideas regarding job hunting during the holiday season (especially for you busy bees!):

1. Use your down time wisely to support your job search and your career. If you’re currently working, then you’re probably looking forward to a bit of downtime during the holidays, at least a few days off of work. If you’re actively in a job search mode, this time can be allocated to updating your resume to showcase your most recent achievements … writing new and more impressive cover letters … upgrading your LinkedIn profile with new information and new success stories … there’s a lot you can do to enhance your portfolio of career marketing documents and strengthen your online identity. Use your time wisely to further prepare yourself for your current or anticipated job search.

2. READ!!! Use the holiday season to research industries and professions on the rise. Whether you’re currently employed or not, it is always wise to be knowledgeable about what’s hot and what’s not. Dedicate some of your time to learning about the job market in general. It’s always wonderful to operate from a position of power and knowledge, so be certain to stay abreast of what’s happening and what the trends forecast.

I am so glad that Wendy made a point of recognizing the opportunity that currently employed job seekers have at this time of the year. Recently, I have worked with several clients with very demanding jobs who are hoping to make changes soon. They were so busy, it was difficult to schedule our coaching sessions. My most timely advice to them – take advantage of this time of the year, when you will be traveling less and when things at work may slow a bit.

If YOU are a job seeker who wants (or needs) a new job, NOW is the time to act. Are your materials ready to go? How does your resume look? Take action for change while you have a little extra time, or you may find yourself in the same spot for much longer than you would like.