Don't let the holidays pass you by without keeping up to date with current job listings. This is the time of year when employment activity begins to increase as businesses prepare for the upcoming year.
A quick search on Monster.com and HotJobs.com finds an increase in job postings as year-end gets closer. This is a result of budget planning and business forecasting, as companies prepare for a better next year than last.
Keep an eye also on your local newspaper for new Help Wanted ads. These may come from smaller employers who aren't familiar with posting online, and the job advertised is more likely to be real, as opposed to a future opportunity.
Here are a few ideas to increase your job search options during the holidays.
Networking Opportunities
The holiday season is the perfect opportunity for networking. With company Christmas parties and family gatherings, you may find yourself sipping eggnog and ringing in the new year with your new boss. Treat each of these occasions as a challenge for you to let as many people as you can know that you are looking for a new job or career. You certainly don't want to hand out resumes, but be prepared to collect names and numbers, and possibly business cards for future contact.
Employee Attrition
Most disgruntle employees look to the new year as the time to start their job search. That could mean a job opening for you if that person were to jump ship and leave the company. There will be a lot of employment activity during the first quarter of the new year, so pay attention and keep your eyes open for possible opportunities.
Planning for the New Year
With the calendar year coming to an end, budgets for the new year are nearing approval, which means possible increases in staffing and an opening for you. Some organizations may be lifting hiring freezes, depending on the outcome of their budget planning, and others may be adding additional staff. This is the perfect time to get in at the front end of this process and find out what openings are expected to be available.
Phone Coverage
Pass on the email and fax this holiday season, and hold off mailing in your resume. With employee vacations and company shutdowns, a cold call to your prospective new employer could find a hiring manager on the other end of the line. Depending on the size of the company, of most of it's administrative staff is on vacation, you may get lucky enough to catch a hiring manager who just dropped into the office to do some paperwork when you call. It's worth a shot.
Open Requisitions
In some companies, instead of approving new headcount, they may look at the end of the year as a time to clean house. The open position they have this year may disappear next year, and knowing this, the hiring manager may be anxious to fill the position rather than lose it.
Good luck with your job search this holiday, whether it be in IT or somewhere else. Be persistent and your hard work will pay off.
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