How to nail your holiday job hunt

Are you planning to embark on a holiday job hunt? You’re not alone! While people shop for holiday gifts, they also use the time away from the office to sharpen their resumes and apply for new positions. Regardless of the current job market, there are always positions to be filled. You just might have to work harder to stand out.

So, how do you make the most of your holiday job hunt? Our expert team of recruiting specialists have several recommendations that will move your resume to the top of the stack.

Finding a job starts with self-assessment.

To create a great resume or give a solid interview, you need to understand your professional strengths and weaknesses. As you’re preparing to search for jobs, think back to your last performance review. What did your supervisor recommend you work on? In which areas did you excel? Make a running list of the qualities you would bring to a new job and consider how you might highlight those in your application or during an interview.

Build a list of active opportunities and pursue them.

Once you’ve self-assessed, use recruiting professionals and online job posting sites to track down available positions. There are numerous online websites, like Indeed and LinkedIn, that have robust job listing capabilities. Carefully review each application and create a checklist with all of the requirements. This will help you easily compile portfolios, work examples or other information you might need to complete the application process. Make sure to take note of the application deadline! The last few weeks of the year sometimes feel like a blur, and you don’t want to miss your opportunity because of the holiday rush.

Make the most of time away from the office.

Most professionals spend more time away from the office in November and December than during any other time of the year. Once you’ve built your list of interesting opportunities, use the quiet time between family gatherings to work on the elements you need for your various applications. It is the season for checking things twice, and that goes for spelling and grammar on your cover letter, application copy and resume.

While your schedule is clear, reach out to contacts at your target companies, even if they don’t have an active job listing in your field. The holidays are a great time to connect with people, and the guise of a holiday get-together might be the reason you use to start inquiring about available or upcoming job opportunities.

If your holiday job hunt is slow going, or even starting the process seems daunting, you can also use this down time to meet with recruiters! ProTech’s team of talent acquisition specialists are trained to help you navigate the process no matter the time of year. We’re here to help you find and land the job of your dreams, and we’d always love to work with you!

Apply with your value in mind.

As you’re submitting your application, keep your value top of mind. Any company with a published job listing is looking for the candidate who will bring the most value to their office. Review the application one more time and seek opportunities to highlight your strengths and how they’ll benefit the company. You’ll get bonus points if your skills or talents go above and beyond the minimum requirements for the position.

Keep your holiday job hunt festive.

Personal touches can make a world of difference in the recruiting field. Sending a warm holiday message to your networking contacts, recruiters, potential employers and other connections could bring your resume back into the discussion. Be cautious not to get too personal, though. A nicely designed, generic card with a handwritten note is sufficient – save the cat and baby photos for your grandmother’s holiday card.

Overall, a holiday job hunt doesn’t have to be daunting. If you follow recommendations, you can make simple work of the application process. By spending the last few months of the year searching for your dream position, you’re setting yourself up to start the new year on the right foot!