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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The entertainment industry is filled with lovely people. Many are hardworking, generous, well-adjusted, and easy to work with. The majority, in fact, are total professionals. And then there is a small population of people it takes a specialist to work with. We’ll get to that in a minute…
In the meantime, you’re sitting in the interview trying your best to score the job. You desperately want to be offered the position of “Executive Assistant to the Vice President Production” or the “Marketing Manager” or the “Director of New Media.” It’s the break you’ve been waiting for.
But what if you had a crystal ball and could see how the job would be? What if you could examine your possible future and find out if you really want the job? Maybe it’s not the opportunity you think it will be. How do you know?
Well, as someone who has not only conducted hundreds of , but also talked to countless other industry hiring pros about this sticky issue, I can help. I can decode the euphemisms used when filling a position with some hidden pitfalls.
Here’s your at-a-glance guide to figuring out if you really, really want the job:
If they use the word “challenging” or “moody” to describe your potential boss and you can’t handle crazies or screamers or crazy screamers, RUN!Picture yourself being on the receiving end of some nasty gibes because the studio chief hasn’t returned your boss’s call or the A-list talent passed on a starring role in his movie. How is that your fault? You’d better not ask. That will only make it worse.
They ask if you have thick skin.See above.
If you ask about the last person who had the job and they tell you it was a “bad fit” and the person left after a short time and then you ask about the previous person and they hedge and then tell you the same thing, be warned. This means there is a revolving door on this position and the boss just throws people through it at the slightest sign of infallibility (or when the studio chief doesn’t return his call and he needs someone to blame). You can take the job, but don’t get comfortable.
If they ask about how you feel working Sundays and you have a family you want to actually spend time with, the job might not be for you.We hiring managers only cut right to asking about Sunday if nights and Saturdays are a given. When we say “Sunday,” it means you are either on call or in the office 24/7. Consider carefully how much of a time commitment you want to give your job.
If you ask how it is to work at the company and the hiring executive avoids the question, hedges, or takes a deep breath before giving a half-assed positive answer, be a little concerned. He may just be an eternally-tortured kind of person so take his response with a grain of salt, but if the receptionist also looks miserable or you see unhappy people (or hear arguing) as you walk through the halls, it might not be a fun place to work.
There are people who can handle some job pitfalls and emerge unscathed at the end of each day (even on Sundays!) and even at the end of the job. You might be one of those people. If you are, the above behaviors and/or total time commitment and/or a tense environment might not throw you off. And depending upon the opportunity, you might decide it’s worth it to put up with some negativity to have that experience on your resume.
But there are some people who won’t be able to handle being mistreated on a regular basis and there are some entertainment jobs, no matter how plum they look, that aren’t worth what you have to go through on a day-to-day basis to have them.
If the job you are interviewing for seems like one of those jobs, it’s probably best to keep looking. As I said, there are plenty of lovely people working in entertainment and plenty of nice places to work for. I suggest you find one of those. You’ll be glad you did.
Jenny Yerrick Martin, founder of MomentumAdvantage.com, is a Los Angeles-based entertainment career expert and strategist, and a career consultant and professional writer of resumes, cover letters, and bios for people in all fields. Follow her on Twitter [@JennyYM] and connect with her via LinkedIn here.Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expertImage from Marko Tomicic/Shutterstock
