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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As I begin each New Year, I undergo what has become an annual ritual: a spreadsheet of objectives and goals for the upcoming year. This year, I realized setting goals and objectives is not enough. Measuring my progress against those goals is probably just as important as setting the goals themselves. So I first have to ask myself, what are the top three objectives or goals for my organization this year and just as significant, what are my top three objectives and how do I measure my progress throughout the year.
If we don’t set goals for our business it becomes similar to driving without a road map. You’ll end up in Albuquerque when you were trying to get to Miami. When I create my yearly roadmap, I set three goals a year (no more than four) because once there are more than that, it becomes overwhelming and very little tends to be accomplished.
No one can tell your team what goals should be a priority; that has to be decided on as a unit. If everyone goes in their own direction throughout the year, companies tend to see little progress. Teams have to work together and understand the direction needed to be taken to be successful. The first thing that must be done is to decide what the important goals for me and my team are that we would like to achieve within the upcoming 12 months. Talk to your team, enlist their ideas and come to a consensus on what is motivating and important. Motivation shouldn’t be a dictatorial action, there has to be “buy in” to the goal.
A great guideline for choosing realistic goals is the S.M.A.R.T. Goal standard. Make sure your team’s goals are:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Relevant
T = Timely
Once you have established those goals, write them down. After you have them written down and have achieved “buy in” from the team, create an action plan. Remember “buy in” doesn’t have to mean every person gets their way. What it means is every person understands and accepts the direction the team will be taking throughout the year. My favorite line is “can you live with that?” rather than “do you 100% agree with the goal?”
Without a written plan of action, it becomes impossible to measure your progress throughout the year. A great way to measure your progress and to keep the team on task, is to set up “two week stretch” meetings to discuss accomplishments and set attainable goals for the upcoming two weeks. Breaking down your goals into attainable segments makes attaining them that much more realistic.
As I consider what goals my team and organization should tackle in the upcoming year, I then apply the same process to my own goals. Again I can enlist outside help in thinking about what needs to happen in my own life over the next year. Good decisions are rarely made in a silo. Reach out and talk to those who know you best and gain valuable insight in the appropriate direction for you. Set your goals, write them down, create a plan on how you will achieve them and then review them throughout the year.
So here is my challenge to you...
If you haven’t thought about and written down your goals for 2012 - then get to work! If you have, I would love to hear what they are and how you plan to achieve them.
Susan Ruhl, founder of OI Partners-Denver, has developed a sharp eye for how both job seekers and leaders alike get sidetracked with inefficiencies, cross- purposes and miscommunication – and how they can retool for a sleeker, smoother, strategically focused career. Her quick wit, combined with more than two decades of operational and management experience, have made her a highly successful consultant.2012 text pushing down 2011 image from Shutterstock
