It’s no secret that the pulse of business activity slows during the summer season, making it the ideal time for workers to tackle back-burner projects and take advantage of much-needed vacation time. For active job seekers, however, the dog days of summer can be a difficult and frustrating time. Rejection is hard enough when you’re not sweating through a full suit in 100-degree weather.
Related: The 4 New Rules Of Recruiting
Because of staggered vacation schedules and the general slow pace of summer, the elapsed time between scheduling interviews and decision-making can seem like an eternity to the eager job seeker. In fact, the most recent report on job trends from the Bureau of Labor Statistics accounted for 741,000 discouraged American workers in July. The BLS defines ‘discouraged workers’ as people who are unemployed but not actively looking for work because they believe there are no jobs available for them.
If you are one of the discouraged workers out there, or if you’re just itching for a new job, here is some good news: in a few days Labor Day will mark the unofficial end of summer, which means a traditional boost in hiring is just around the corner. Hiring managers and gatekeepers alike are returning from vacation refreshed, rejuvenated and motivated for a productive fourth quarter.
5 Tips To Prepare For Peak Hiring Season
So, if your job search is as uneventful as your summer television lineup, here are some tips to prepare for the peak hiring season and still enjoy Labor Day:
1. Network
Because of the slower pace, those people you have been trying to network with are much more likely to accept your invitation for coffee or lunch. In your free time, explore local meetup groups and potentially make meaningful connections with others in your area. If you go to a Labor Day cookout, talk to as many people as you can, and keep in mind: 80 percent of jobs are obtained by a referral.
2. Consider working with a staffing agency
Recruiters have special insight into recruiting trends and job opportunities with companies in your town, many of which will be ramping up their hiring in the fourth quarter. Retail companies, for example, experience a significant surge in hiring as they prepare for the holiday season. At the very least, a recruiter can find temporary employment to help get you back on your feet until the right full-time opportunity comes along.
3. Prepare a marketing strategy
Personal branding is a requirement for remaining relevant throughout your career. Once you’ve cultivated a personal brand that represents your value to a desired employer, be strategic and thoughtful about how you market your brand. Your assets include your resume, cover letter, portfolio, LinkedIn and other social media profiles. Think carefully about the message these materials convey to your target market.
4. Polish your appearance
The end of summer means the end of the relaxed dress code. Kids are buying back-to-school pencils and trapper keepers, so why not buy a few new pieces for your back-to-work wardrobe? As superficial as it may sound – it is a common fact that professional attire has a direct correlation to self-confidence.
5. And finally, relax
Job searching is a full-time job, so enjoy the Labor Day holiday and don’t feel guilty about being out of work. When the weekend is over, you’ll feel energized to make big moves.
Not quite ready to say goodbye to the slow pace of summer? Adecco Staffing, USA understands, which is why they are giving away ten unbelievable prizes from August 18-29 as part of their “Un-End the Summer” campaign. To enter, head over to Adecco Staffing, USA’s Facebook page. Click on the “Un-End the Summer” tab to participate, and you could win a GoPro HERO3+, Weber Spirit gas grill, Beats by Dre Beatbox Portable, a $1,500 airline gift card and more. Adecco will give away one prize per day to a lucky, random winner.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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