This time of year offers special opportunities for job seekers. Holiday networking events, for example, can be great chances to meet professionals you might not encounter otherwise. Additionally, some employers are still eager to fill positions before budgets reset or headcount is finalized in the new year, making it a prime time to stand out with a strategic approach.
Here are five ways you can stand out from the competition this holiday season and find a job before the end of the year.
1. Showcase The Right Skills On Your Resume
Bigstock
When updating your resume, focus on aligning your experience with the specific demands of the industry. Go beyond just listing responsibilities; dig into job descriptions to identify the core skills that consistently appear for your target roles. By tailoring your resume with these keywords, you not only capture the attention of hiring managers but also boost your chances of passing applicant tracking systems (ATS), which are often programmed to scan for these key terms. It's all about keywords!
During the holiday season, hiring managers are often managing tight timelines and high demands, making it crucial for candidates to demonstrate that they’re ready to hit the ground running. Highlighting industry-relevant skills shows you're not only familiar with the landscape but also equipped to make an immediate impact. Be sure to include examples of how you've leveraged these core strengths in previous roles to support team goals or tackle challenges (aka quantify your work experience). The holidays are hectic, so share with the potential employer how you'll be a positive addition to the team by leveraging your strengths and emphasizing your value as a business-of-one.
2. Dress The Part
Bigstock
Don't underestimate the power of a great first impression. Dress for the interview in professional attire. Even if the job description mentions a casual dress code, such as jeans and a sweatshirt, it’s essential to show respect for the employer by dressing in a way that demonstrates your commitment to making a positive impression. Wearing attire that reflects your professionalism shows you care about how you're perceived and the impression you leave on others.
Not sure what to wear? We recommend dressing conservatively in clothing one level above what the current employees at the company are wearing. You want to look professional, but not like you don't fit in with the workplace culture.
3. Show Your Connection To The Company
Bigstock
Employers like to hire candidates who have a passion for what they do. Why? Because when people are passionate about their work, that enthusiasm often translates into a higher level of commitment, creativity, and productivity. This intrinsic motivation can lead to consistently strong performance and a positive impact on the team and company as a whole.
In your disruptive cover letter (and during your job interview), demonstrate how and why you admire the company. Highlight what you love most about their products and services. Give examples of how you have personally used them in your own life with success. The more you can show them you understand and respect the business, the more likely you'll impress the hiring manager and move forward in the interview process.
4. Demonstrate Your Value
Bigstock
It's important to remember that you're a business-of-one, and you're trying to sell the service you provide as a business-of-one to employers (the customers who will be paying you for the service).
To find a job during the holidays, you must adequately demonstrate your value as a business-of-one and highlight your strengths and the specific benefits you bring as a potential employee throughout the hiring process. How do you do this? Well, make sure to quantify your work experience on your resume. Use numbers to showcase your accomplishments. Clearly state how you'll make or save the company money with your employment. Do this, and you'll easily become one of the top candidates for the position.
5. Express Gratitude
Bigstock
The holidays are busy for everyone. When you're applying for jobs during the holiday season, keep gratitude in mind. This positive mindset not only helps you stay resilient but also shines through in your applications and interviews, leaving a memorable impression on potential employers.
After every job interview, always send a thank-you note. It's just the polite thing to do, and you'll score more points with the hiring manager. Even if you get rejected, or never hear back about a position, make sure you send an email thanking the employer for the opportunity and wish them the best of luck with finding the right job candidate.
Don't be bitter. Be gracious. You never know what will happen in the future. You might want to apply for another job at the company down the line. So, don't let your frustration get the best of you. Remember: If you get rejected, they didn't say, "No, not ever." They just said, "No, not today."
A successful holiday job search depends on a solid strategy. Follow the guidelines above and land a job this holiday season!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
Considered working as a law enforcement or emergency services worker? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect as an emergency medical technician, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to JustJobs and is one of many interviews with emergency service professionals which among others include an emergency services coordinator, a forensic pathologist, and everything in between.
I am an emergency medical technician (EMT) working for the Fire Department of New York. I have been an EMT since 1997. The three adjectives I would pick to describe myself are "caring," "responsible," and "fun." I am a white female, which has not helped or hurt me in this position. I have experienced some discrimination from the people we help -- once a guy asked me if I could perform CPR on him because I looked so pretty -- but you just have to brush it off and move on.
As an EMT I work the 10 PM to 6 AM shift, riding around in an ambulance and responding to calls. Because it's the overnight shift we get a lot of gunshot and stabbing wounds, plus the occasional alcohol poisoning or drug overdose. We rush to the scene, evaluate the victim's medical situation, then decide whether we can treat the victim on-site, during the drive to a hospital, or wait until a doctor can see the patient. For a gunshot wound, we mostly try to stop the bleeding. We're not trained to perform surgery or take out the bullet – that sort of thing waits until we get to the hospital. There's a misunderstanding we do a lot of treatment in the ambulance while we're driving. For the most part it's too bumpy to do anything other than stabilize the patient.
I would rate my job satisfaction as a 7 or 8. I'm helping people who might otherwise die, which feels great, but the hours are not fun. I get home in time to wake up my kids, make them breakfast, and take them to school. Then I go home and fall asleep so I can be up in time to pick them up. I make dinner, help them with their homework, put them to bed, then head off to work. I don't know if this job is my calling -- I think right now I would rather spend more time with my kids, but the job pays decently.
I got a unique start in this job. My father had a heart attack when I was 23, at a time when I still didn't know what I wanted to do for a career. When the EMTs responded, I was so grateful and amazed at what they did for a living. I wanted an opportunity to help save other people's loved ones.
I had to learn a lot of things the hard way in this job. The hardest of all is probably dealing with death. Sometimes we respond to calls where the dispatcher tells us the person is already dead. We rush to the scene but often it's apparent there's nothing we can do. The worst are the gunshot wounds -- you know the person died instantly, but their families just want you to be able to do something. Usually the police are so involved in their investigation that they neglect the emotional needs of the families. I try to be reassuring when we take away someone that things are going to be okay, even if I know that it's not.
In the working world I learned a lot of things school never taught me, especially driving school! EMT drivers are just on another plane of existence. We get to do some crazy things to try to make it to the scene a little faster. My driving instructor would faint if he saw some of the things I've done to get through traffic.
The strangest thing that ever happened to me was when we got an emergency call that woman's husband had died. We rushed to the scene and found this little old woman in an apartment by herself. She kept saying her husband was dead, but the house was obviously empty. We did a little investigating and apparently the woman had dementia, her husband had died over twenty years ago of a heart attack. I felt really bad for her, but it was a very strange thing to have happen as an EMT.
I get up and go to work each day for my kids. I know the people we're helping are someone else's mother or father, and I think about how grateful I am my own father was saved by the EMTs who responded. The job is definitely challenging, and there have been times when I wanted to quit. The stress is worst when you arrive on the scene of a fatality, but significant parts of the day are spent waiting for something to happen, so it all balances out. My work-life balance isn't great as a single mother, but I have a job where I can see my kids in the morning and after school. I can't complain about that. I make about $50,000 per year, which isn't great for New York City but goes further on Long Island. I also get four weeks of vacation each year because of the high-stress nature of the job.
JustJobs.com is a job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations. With one search, they help you find the job with your name on it. Read more » articles by this approved business partner | Click here » if you’re a business Nurse's aide image from Shutterstock
