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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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!
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The old adage about it’s not what you know, but who you know is in full effect in today’s job market. Recruiters are posting positions online and being inundated with the number of resumes that are submitted. Because of the sheer volume of applications, job seekers are often ignored unless something sets their applications apart from the many other candidates.
One way for job seekers to get an “in” with their preferred employer is to find out if they have any existing connections already working for the company. Until now, this was a pretty tedious and time consuming task. However, virtual networking just got a lot easier with Glassdoor.com’s launch of Inside ConnectionsTM earlier this week. The tool connects Glassdoor’s existing functionality with Facebook’s networking capabilities to allow users to view their friends and where they work now or have worked in the past.
For most job seekers, friends and family are the go-to people for finding out about companies. If your best friend raves about her employer, you’re probably more inclined to consider jobs with that organization. In fact, according to a recent Harris survey, people rate their friends and family as the most trusted resource for learning about companies (52 percent), followed by feedback and reviews from other people who work at the company (14 percent). The least trusted resources are the company’s website (5 percent) and the company’s recruiters (2 percent).
I had the opportunity to speak with Tim Besse, the co-founder of Glassdoor.com, and he said the goal of Inside ConnectionsTM is to help job seekers make informed decisions about companies by providing one place that is a comprehensive research tool on where the jobs are, what they are and who you know there. After doing a brief pre-release demo of the tool, I’m convinced this is going to change the way people search for jobs. It’s also going to save a lot of time for job hunters and hopefully give them better odds at being noticed by a recruiter.
Employee referral programs have been hugely popular for helping organizations find qualified leads. Essentially, Inside ConnectionsTM takes the employee referral concept one step further and puts the information in the hands of the job seeker. Depending on the security settings of your Facebook friends, you may also be able to see job information for friends of friends. This will allow you to expand your networking reach even further. Once the connections are listed, you can make contact with them by sending brief messages via Facebook and inquiring about their companies and opportunities.
A personal contact with someone in the company is more effective than submitting your resume unsolicited to the general jobs e-mail address. It’s even more likely that you’ll be successful in landing an interview if your friend is willing to speak with the recruiter for the position on your behalf.
According to Glassdoor, their site includes connections at more than 150,000 companies around the world. Chances are good that at least a few of these companies are hiring someone with your skill set.
Amanda Haddaway is passionate about helping you ace your interview. She is the author of "Destination Real World: Success after Graduation," which helps new and soon-to-be college graduates with navigating the world of work.Connections inside networking image from Shutterstock
