I’d like to start out by wishing everyone a happy holidays. Many job seekers are feeling the pressure of being unemployed during the holidays and some may use them as a time to start to relax and slow down with their job searches. The thing that many job seekers don’t realize is that January is one of the busiest hiring seasons for many companies.
Departments in companies get their new budgets and many companies and organizations are fully loaded with funds to invest in new human capital from the holiday shopping season and supporter donations. This is why the 2 or 3 weeks prior to January is when job seekers should be focusing on ramping up their plans instead of taking a break. Job seekers should be preparing to apply to companies for the increase in job openings and ready to use the holidays as a strategic planning period. Here are a few things that I recommend every job seeker starts doing right now to help give themselves an advantage over the job seekers who took time off during the holidays.
1. Ask for interview related gifts. Many unemployed people are excited to receive money as a gift during the holidays. Money is great but how is it going to help you get a job? Ask for gifts like new business suits or a work outfit that is appropriate for interviews. If your dress clothes are a bit outdated or just worn out, now is the perfect time to invest in a new one since stores have them on sale and because you could ask for them as a gift from a generous family member or friend. A new suit or business outfit is the perfect gift and an investment in your search for a job.
2. Get a professionally written resume. If you are getting money for the holidays, instead of spending it on fun things like a night out with friends, spend it on something that will help you find a job. Nights out with friends will be more available when you find a job. You should think about the long term instead of the short. If you rarely get called in for interviews or hear back from companies you submit to, then the problem may be your resume. It might be in the wrong format or even have the wrong flow of information for your job level or industry. If people give you cash or a check for the holidays, invest in yourself for long term success by getting a new professionally written resume that may help to get you more interviews and find a job.
3. Create a list of potential companies you want to work for. Instead of doing a random job search through all of the new listings and sending out a million resumes, think about the top ten or twenty companies you want to work for. Once you have those picked out you can then tailor your resume and cover letter so that it would be appealing to those companies and will be about submit ready. Not only can you start your daily search in New York by looking on sites like https://newyorkcityjob.net , but you can also start checking those company’s sites for new positions that are only available on their sites. This give you a more productive approach to submitting your resume because you will have them half way ready to submit, instead of having to do each at the last minute which can be extremely time consuming. Sometimes being one of the first to submit a perfect and relevant resume can give you an advantage over people who wait a week or two.
January is one of the biggest job seasons of the year. By using the holiday season to prepare yourself and your resumes for this heavy job searching season you will help to give yourself an advantage over other job seekers who are rushing at the last minute to catch up. Don’t be left behind in January, start preparing for it now.