5 Job Search Strategies for the Holiday Season - CareerEnlightenment.com

Once you get involved in a professional organization, don’t just sit on the sidelines.   Volunteer on a committee.   Run a program.   Maybe you will even be invited to join their board of directors.   That way you will not only be present at meetings, you will also be front and center, like any good linchpin should be.Companies Are Hiring!Don’t believe the myth that companies aren’t hiring during the holidays.   They most certainly are.   And jobs posted at this time of year are either business-critical jobs or newly approved through the annual budget planning cycle.While I talk extensively about the need to build a fully optimized LinkedIn profile and the importance of branding yourself using social media, I also implore jobseekers to keep their eyes on company job boards, both national and niche job boards.   The equation works in your favor at this time of year: the jobs that are posted urgently need to be filled, and you have less competition while fellow jobseekers relax.B uild and Refine Your Job Search ToolkitAs the weather turns cold (in much of the country, anyway) and the nights grow longer, there are fewer distractions.   There is no leaf raking and no mowing and the days are short.   That leaves more time for you to build or refine your job search toolkit.   Again, while your job search competition is taking a breather, you can be working on the following:Building a one page bioEnhancing your resume (do you have a resume that dates you?)Crafting a target list of companies â€" a list of companies you want to work for â€" based on size, location, culture, industrySending out a networking newsletterHoning a value proposition â€" your 30/60/90 second “elevator speech” about who you are and what you doAssembling a brag bookHow to stand out by visiting target companiesBuild your network on LinkedIn (the right way, using proper etiquette)Recharge Your BatteriesAssuming you have powered through the holiday calendar utilizing the preceding ideas, i t also makes sense for you to stop, reflect, and relax.   Job search can be a marathon (and nowadays it usually is).   Real running marathoners do pace themselves to be in good shape to finish the race.   So, on the one hand, while I am asking you to run briskly for a good portion of this season, I also recommend slowing down for a few days so you can be rested and ready to accelerate past your competition on the second of January.It is my hope that these few tips and others that you uncover will propel you through a successful holiday job search campaign.This blog, It Only Takes One, has surpassed 15,000 hits, indicating a large readership, so I pose this question to you:   what are some common holiday-related job search techniques you have employed?   Leave your comment below!Remember, It Only Takes ONE!