The holidays are peak hiring season. Snagajob.com recently predicted 94 percent of all seasonal jobs will be filled by the end of November. For seasonal job seekers, the importance of staying application ready cannot be overstated. With high demand, positions will fill up quickly. Contact your AthLife advisor to ensure you have your application materials prepared to submit when you find the seasonal job for you.
For those exclusively seeking long-term careers, Phil Rosenberg, president of reCareered explains why the numbers are also in your favor for securing full-time employment, "What ends up happening is that hiring managers put a great deal of pressure on recruiters to be able to get them candidates and set up interviews before everyone in the company goes away for Christmas break." Despite the push to bring in candidates before holiday break, the actual hiring process may take longer for full-time job seekers. In many cases, employers will convene after the holidays to make a final hiring decision from their candidate pool.
For full-time job seekers, the task is to make yourself available to recruiters and personal contacts, and utilize the holiday break by networking to stay on the radar of employers returning to their offices in January to bring in the new year with new employees. Fortunately, these tasks are easiest to accomplish over the holiday season.
How to find a seasonal job:
- Attend both work related and personal holiday gatherings.
- Send holiday greetings to contacts through mail, email or social media.
- Be vocal about your career goals – having a pitch prepared describing your career history, current skills, and desired career title will yield greater results than simply informing others you are on the job market.
- Carry business cards with you. If you are not currently employed, simply having a card with your name, email, phone, and LinkedIn address shows others you are ready to follow through on the next career opportunity.
- Have a master resume prepared that can be easily tailored to specific job postings.
As always, contact your AthLife advisor to develop the right holiday career search strategy for you.