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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It’s an interesting dilemma for new grads these days. Assuming you’re lucky enough to score a job, you’ll find yourself thrown into a workforce for which you’ve (probably) received little or no formal training. Sadder still, you probably won’t receive much on-the-job training either. If you work for a large corporation, my guess is they’ll send you to an off-site orientation with other new hires where you will get a condensed overview of company culture and operations. These programs are usually pretty good and you should go with the mindset of learning all you can.
However, if you start in a small business or an organization without a training program (like I did), you have to be a bit scrappier about how you acquire knowledge. Either way, there’s a few things you must understand about the workforce before you can really hit the ground running.
Let’s start with wardrobe malfunctions. At the beginning of my career, I made some choices that were regrettable to say the least. (The knee-high patent leather boots come to mind… ) In a continuation of my college mindset, I chose outfits based on what “looked cute” rather than what “looked credible,” and I paid a price for it at the time. Clients and colleagues didn’t take me seriously, so I stumbled a bit coming out of the gate. These days, however, I’m very careful about the impression I want to make and I use clothes – strategically – to reinforce that image. You should too.
Moving on from something you can control (your clothes) to something you can’t, let’s talk about how to prepare for the inevitable information overload. Ever heard of the phrase “sipping through a fire hydrant?” If not - get ready - because as a new professional, that pretty much sums up your life for the next couple months. From the location of the supply closet to the details of the Topeka Project, you are going to have A TON of information thrown at you in a very short period of time. In fact, for most of you this will be your only training. So don’t get flustered or visibly overwhelmed by the avalanche. Just expect it, hunker down, take good notes, and bring your A-game. Everyday.
Finally, The Wall Street Journal recently surveyed 479 college recruiters to discover what new grads needed to improve most these days. The result? Critical thinking skills. In a recent article, the WSJ stated new grads are being held back professionally because they “can't turn their isolated observations about a client's business into a strategy.” Right or wrong, it seems the consensus is today’s grads are adept at completing tasks, but many lack the ability to tie those tasks back to their organization’s big-picture goals.
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For advice on how to sharpen your own critical thinking, plus six other skills you’ll need to shrink the learning curve at work, I hope you’ll join me for the upcoming webinar, “7 Things Your First Boss Wants You to Know on Day One.”
We’re going to dive deep into what you’re expected to know when you show up for work on the first day… but no one ever told you until now. So if you’re a student thinking ahead to your first job or even a recent grad who feels “held back” at work, this webinar is a must-attend.
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Emily Bennington is coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job" (Ten Speed Press, 2010). She is a contributor to The Huffington Post, Monster.com, and a frequent speaker to college students and organizations on the topic of career success. Bennington also hosts the Professional Studio 365 blog, which helps new professionals successfully navigate their first year in the workforce. She can be reached via email at ebennington@msn.com or on Twitter @EmilyBennington.The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock.
