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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![[04.09.10] Value of Tweets During Job Search](https://www.workitdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/04.09.10-Value-of-Tweets-During-Job-Search.jpg "[04.09.10] Value of Tweets During Job Search")
By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Rosa E. VargasThe value of your tweets. Now that you have set up your Twitter account, what do you tweet in order to get closer to an actual job lead? There are many steps you can take to job search via Twitter but in this blog post I will focus on your tweets' content because a great tweet can propel you closer to a job -- a bad tweet can help you lose the job you currently have…AND QUICKLY!
Micro blogging as part of your job search toolkit. Project and strengthen your professionalism, brand, and expertise. If you provide valuable and spot-on content, you will gain influential followers. If your Twitter "followers" find your content useful and insightful, they may recommend others follow you or better yet (RT) re-tweet you, helping you expand your reach and networking possibilities.
Don't tweet anything you would not say in person to your future boss. For some odd reason people share more than they should via their tweets. You should be even more cautious because what goes online stays online, forever! Be tactful and remember employers will Google you!
Stay on topic and provide useful content. Say you are seeking employment as a Pediatric RN, stay on that subject. Tweet about an article you wrote regarding healthcare, your thoughts on excellent pediatric care, provide advice, and share links to interesting on-topic blog posts. You may even tweet a job lead you did not pursue. Don't. Please. Don’t start tweeting about…say…your trip to the grocery store or about your romantic relationships. (I know the little Twitter box request “What’s happening” but don’t literally answer that!) Sure, engage in conversation but at all times be cognizant of what you’re discussing.
Incorporate keywords in your tweets. Include jargon/keywords specific to your target industry. Your tweets will become pages on the Internet and so be sure to optimize your job search tweets for the web. What are keywords? Keywords are industry-specific nouns and noun phrases such as tech skills and job titles. However, perhaps the most imperative reason for incorporating keywords in your tweet is so…your tweets help shape or fortify your expertise!Hash tags. Adding a hash tag (#) to your industry keyword (e.g., #nurse, #CEO, #sourcing manager, etc.) will help professionals within your industry find you when they conduct an on-topic search.
Sample Keywords and Hash Tags in Tweets:
#Nursing advice: age-appropriate bedside care is even more important when dealing with #pediatric patients.
#Sales #management: a client-focused presentation is the key in closing deals in a tough economy.
#Webdesign: beautiful layouts that are also search engine friendly are essential for great #SEO.
You should aim to keep tweets even shorter than the allowed 140 characters in order to encourage re-tweets (RTs). If someone does not have to edit your tweet in order to re-tweet it, then that person is more likely to! More RTs means more people will learn you are job searching.
Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail.Re-tweets brand you too. Once you RT a message, this tweet becomes part of your Twitter stream, so be selective. What you choose to re-tweet demonstrates your thought process, your decision-making, and illustrates what captures your attention. (I know, Twitter is supposed to be fun, but creating career opportunities in such a challenging job market is work...and a strategic endeavor.) Tweet your resume in moderation. Yes, you are on Twitter to job search -- I understand. Yet, don’t tweet your resume with every other tweet. Hold back a bit. Find folks to follow, share tweets, gain followers, network, re-tweet others, and then tweet your resume once a week and ask others to RT it. People help those they like -- not those that annoy them or seem blatantly opportunistic. It is “social” networking so please implement social etiquette.
The ideal situation would be for you to provide a link from your Twitter bio to your resume (on LinkedIn or VisualCV.com) and as you tweet brilliant information, engage your ‘tweople,’ become valuable to your ‘twittersphere,’ your ‘followers’ will be interested enough to click on that link to your resume.
Twitter is just one tool. Twitter is one method for you to go about networking and creating your own job opportunities. Twitter is another channel for you to expand your reach and concurrently build or reinforce your brand as an expert. Don't ever sit back and wait for someone to magically tweet a great lead for you. Just like your resume, cover letter, and other career marketing tools -- Twitter is just one tool.
Did you enjoy this article? Read more articles by this expert here.![CAREEREALISM Badge [Articles]](https://www.workitdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/CAREEREALISM-Badge-Articles.PNG "CAREEREALISM Badge [Articles]"){kind=icon}
Rosa Elizabeth Vargas is a job search strategist who is Quadruple-certified as an (MRW) Master Resume Writer, (CERW) Certified Expert Resume Writer, (NCRW) Nationally Certified, and (ACRW) Academy Certified Resume Writer. Additional qualifications include job search coaching and social media consulting. She has been helping job hunters since 2003 as owner of Creating Prints Resume Service, leveraging an accomplished 10-year career background as a Leader/Senior Manager, which included interviewing, hiring, training, and building strong and competent teams. You can find her on Twitter at @resumeservice.The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock.
