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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This is a true story as told to DiversityJobs, where you can find career interviews for the job you've been looking at and available positions in your desired field.
I've been in the social media manager business for two years now and have varied clients ranging from car dealerships to graphic designers to businesses seeking a strong web presence.
My goals as a social media expert is to provide my clients with website design tips, blogging and above all getting them to utilize social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.
The hardest part of being a social media manager is convincing clients the need social media attention in the first place!
Most businesses who are not Internet savvy feel the best way to reach their customers is via newspaper ads, radio and television spots but in reality, today’s savvy customer turn to the Web to find the products and services they seek.
At times, this convincing alone can take up a lot of my time so this part of the job is about a four on a scale of ten; but once they are convinced, the rest of my job is an absolute ten on the satisfaction scale.
One of the largest things independent social media experts face is dealing with firms offering services at ridiculous prices. These firms are hard to compete with but usually the end-user isn’t satisfied and will turn to me to fix mistakes. It would be nice if they’d understand a good social media manager may cost them as much as $2,000 to $3,000 per month depending on the size of their business and the services I provide.
Though social media seems like an easy vocation, sometimes it’s not! You will have customers who want change after change so make sure you nail down the amount of changes they can make in a formal contract agreement.
My desire to learn more about the Internet was all I needed to get a jump start on becoming a social media manager. From there, a few online classes and some optimization of my own website and a little HTML coding experience was all I needed.
As I look back, I might have focused a little more on Google and what their algorithms do and how they can change—very fast meaning the social media efforts you offer your clients start to slow down and require immediate attention.
While online SEO and social media training did help me, I've learned larger companies want experts who have a full bachelor’s degree in marketing or a related field. Because I’m void of a bachelor’s degree, sometimes it makes it difficult in convincing clients I can do the job.
A funny thing that happened to me with one client when I asked if he would be willing to share his screen with me via an Internet sharing tool. Once he agreed and I sent him the link so we could connect, I was able to see his screen right away and let’s just say the websites he was browsing were of the adult type! He was very embarrassed!
One advantage of being a social media manager is you do get to perform most of you job at home. While I do meet with clients from time to time, the telecommuting offers me a chance to follow another passion I have—fostering dogs from shelters until they can be adopted!
On the other side of that coin, if a client wants you ASAP, you need to be prepared to leave in a flash so you really can’t work in your pajamas all day long.
I’ve never felt too stressed being a social media manager unless I have a horrible and demanding client. I have, however, turned down some clients just from analyzing them in our initial meeting—sometimes you can tell right off if a client will be good or bad.
I still recommend those wanting to break into the social media manager world should obtain bachelor’s degree, as I wish I had. I think I would have landed more clients right off instead of contacting client after client and proving myself.
So far, I can happily say I’m making between $30,000 to $40,000 a year but this is working 24/7 and being there when my clients need me.
If you think helping any organization gain clients via the Internet sounds like a great job, a social media manager may be the right profession for you. Some of my friends are a little jealous they must follow a 9-5 schedule that is strictly regimented where I can set my own hours.
Five years from now I’d like to have my own company, hire some social media managers and take a vacation!
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