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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By Meghan M. Biro
Many people begin job searches and career transitions by rewriting their resumes. Resumes are necessary and a very important step, but they are not always sufficient. Starting with a resume is really starting in the middle of the process. There's an alternative place to begin - with a self-assessment.
Power of Self-Assessment: What's YOUR Story?
Self-assessment is a process, and it can be much more if you approach it with the right attitude - not as a penance, not as pointless navel-gazing, but as a gift you give to yourself. Let's talk about what self-assessment entails, and how you can make it a creative and productive journey.
Four factors to take into account when embarking on self-assessment are your:
Personality
Interests
Skill
Values
Many books, tools and web sites provide information and tests to help determine your personality type; take these tests yourself, or join forces with a coach/strategist/specialist to interpret the results.
Interests may be a bit easier to determine - what do you love to do? What do you avoid? What makes you happy, frustrated, fulfilled? Make a list.
Cross-reference your interests list with your skills - both career, such as an accounting degree, and life skills, e.g. coordination, critical thinking, or the ability to problem-solve. Look for useful skills profiler worksheets.
Finally, consider your values. Are you spiritual? Do you like the rush of starting and selling new ventures? March for peace? Volunteer for meaningful causes? Do you live your values as an active participant or as an observer? What feels most comfortable with your true self?
Meet Melissa....(Does she sound like you?)
At this point you can consider partnering with a coach as one option to integrate the information you've collected and begin to draw conclusions that will guide your job search. That's what a woman we'll call Melissa, an IT executive who longed for a more satisfying career, and I did recently.
Melissa was tired of working in IT management. Confronted on a daily basis by angry, frustrated co-workers whose email boxes were overflowing, whose files were lost mid-sentence and who really didn't care about what it took Melissa to solve their issues now, she was grappling with how to change careers. After five years on a help desk she was unsure of her interpersonal skills, unwilling to invest in another IT-related degree to switch specialties, and out of touch with her passions and interests.
Because Melissa was feeling a bit burned out, we didn't jump in at the deep end - personality assessment. Instead we talked about her interests, completed a skills assessment, and explored her values. We were three-quarters of the way through the self-assessment, and close to having enough information to help Melissa begin to build a personal brand: a way to incorporate her personality, interests, skills and values in a coherent, authentic package that would appeal to employers - and as important - be liberating and refreshing for Melissa.
Melissa began to learn about herself again, to feel comfortable in her own skin. She realized that she didn't like conflict and although her problem-solving ability was strong, she had little formal training in active listening. She valued people who are honest and polite, preferred to work independently, and was interested in a role that would free her from the confines of an office and give her the opportunity to travel.
At this point we were ready for the personality tests, which can reveal how a person perceives the world and her place in it, and how these preferences influence how she make decisions. We spent time cross-referencing the results with our other lists and built a list of career choices that made sense for Melissa - and were achievable without significant re-training. We had a good idea of where Melissa would achieve a better culture fit, based on her personal brand. It was time to re-write the resume, start connecting with her network and re-launch her career.
Today Melissa is working as a programmer - which leverages her desire to work independently - for a national company, which gives her the opportunity to travel. As a key contributor on a geographically-distributed team she works with peers who share skills and treat each other with respect. She is adding value to her personal brand by participating in professional groups and feeding her soul by taking painting classes and collecting art. Through self-assessment, she has found a path; by creating a personal brand, she is increasing her value as an employee and person.
As you consider a career or life change, use the tools of self-assessment to guide you.
Meghan M. Biro, founder of TalentCulture, is a globally-recognized expert in talent acquisition, creative personal and corporate branding and new media strategies that accelerate talent acquisition.A career strategist, Meghan guides her clients to build distinctive corporate, employer and personal brands-both on and offline. You can reach her at mbiro@talentculture.com, on Twitter at @MeghanMBiro and @TalentCulture, or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanmbiro.
