Holiday search tips
Penelope has said it, The Hiring Revolution people have said it, The ItzBig Blog knows it, and I’m going to say it again: you really really shouldn’t cop-out with the holidays as a time to take a break from your job search.
Of course, breaks are necessary–to regroup, re-energize, refocus. I’m not recommending you go blind from staring at Monster.com or that you call so many hiring managers that all HR contacts avoid you like the plague.
I’m simply recommending that you don’t put off until 2007 what you can get wrapped up in 2006! Don’t fall into the same old excuses: “no one will get back to me” or “everyone is on vacation” or “I’m too busy”. If it’s really important to you, make the time.
Being a creative professional, you know that this is a key time of year for standing out: you could do your own self-marketing campaign with a special twist. Take hiring managers warm mugs of cocoa instead of sending an email. Cut your resume into a paper snowflake to get attention! (I’d include a business card and follow up with a pristine and complete copy the next day!) Here are some other creative ideas about marketing yourself.
That’s what the season is about for everyone–memories. So make your job search efforts memorable. Then, even if you don’t have anything hit before Dec 31st because of people’s schedules, at least when they’re feeling the pressure from their boss about filling the job, they’ll remember that thoughtful and generous efforts you took the time to make!
And if you’re looking for ideas, ask me or another CM Access career advocate–we’re creative professionals too!
Technorati Tags: job search, holiday, cop-out, excuses, timing, creative approaches, marketing campaign
December 5th, 2006 at 4:47 pm
MaryHelen, I agree with you here. December is not a month to be wasted on the job-searching front.
My day job is at Monster.com (don’t mean to blind you!), and we see that December is typically a very slow month for job applications.
But if you’re on the job hunt, take advantage of that. While your potential competition for a creative job is distracted by visions of sugar plums or holiday parties, you should keep on … keeping on. Keep networking. Keep sending in your resumes. Keep making your follow-up calls … in December!
Simple math says your odds of landing an interview or a job goes up when there are fewer applicants for a job … which is what happens in December. Simple math also says that your odds go down when applications increase … which is exactly happens in January, when folks appear from their December job-hunting hibernation. Be smart and work harder during these next few weeks.
MaryHelen, it’s been a pleasure helping you to get this blog off the ground. Really enjoy reading your posts. They’re thoughtful, helpful, and make me laugh. Keep up the great work!
–Bryan Person
Blog: Bryper.com
December 6th, 2006 at 6:49 am
Bryan-
Couldn’t have gotten it going without your help and support! Thank you for your inspiration and keep reading
December 6th, 2006 at 11:09 am
[…] CM Access: Holiday search tips itzBig gets a nod in this article: “Penelope has said it, The Hiring Revolution people have said it, The ItzBig Blog knows it, and I’m going to say it again: you really really shouldn’t cop-out with the holidays as a time to take a break from your job search… I’m simply recommending that you don’t put off until 2007 what you can get wrapped up in 2006! Don’t fall into the same old excuses: ‘no one will get back to me’ or ‘everyone is on vacation’ or ‘I’m too busy’. If it’s really important to you, make the time.” […]