It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
Ok, maybe it’s a little bit early but the decorations have officially arrived in retail stores, so surely that counts right?
Anyway, the recruitment industry traditionally starts to slow down a little bit at this time of year; people get merrier, there aren’t as many candidates around and/or roles to recruit for.
(Most people are waiting for January).
Preparing for January.
January is the best time of year to ramp up your job search but that doesn’t mean you should stop altogether over the festive season.
It’s the whole “new year, new me” vibe which sees a huge amount of new active candidates coming onto the market and people move between jobs — so make sure you’re taking advantage.
You want to walk into January ready and raring to land your next job.
You don’t want to let such a crucial month slip you by.
But there are still plenty of productive things to be done!
Here are seven of them…
- PLAN!!! You’re more likely to get where you’re going if you decide where you want to go, and then plan your journey. If you don’t, you’ll still get “somewhere,” but you might look up in a few years and wonder how you got “here.”
- Have you got your career documents prepared and ready to go? Whichever way you focus your job search efforts, you will always be asked for a copy of your CV. Don’t wait until you see your dream job before preparing your documents. Better yet, go to a certified resume professional to do it for you. If you save yourself a week in job searching, the investment has paid for itself.
- Is your LinkedIn profile up to do date and delivering the same strong, brand-driven and achievement-focussed as your resumes? yes I did say resumes… you need an ATS-optimised version for online applications and a more visually appealing version for email applications, interviews and handing out within your network.
- Identify a list of companies you’d like to work for and approach them directly using a value proposition letter. Never heard of one…. read more here. Set up Google alerts for those top companies and keep up to date about new developments. Do you know of anyone that works for these companies? Check your LinkedIn network. Perhaps you know someone that could introduce you (or refer you) to a key decision-maker at one of your identified companies.
- Leverage your network. Talk to people. You should be consistently building your network. Not just when you need it but always. Like posts, comment on articles and chat with people you’re connected with. Don’t just connect and forget.
- Apply to advertised roles on job sites like Seek and Indeed, company websites, recruitment companies and through social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter but DON’T exert all of your energy here. Applying to advertised roles yields a low interview-winning success rate of just 2-4%.
- Register with and meet recruiters who specialise in your industry or line of work. Don’t just create a profile on the company website and leave it there. Try to connect with recruiters and build a meaningful rapport. AND… follow up with them periodically (without crossing the line into stalking).
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If you’d like to read more of our job search articles, feel free to check out the rest of our blog — here.
Or check out these great resources for more advice on getting ahead this Christmas…
- 10 Tips for Success In Your Job Search
- The Role of ATS in Job Search
- 5 Tips for Writing a Killer LinkedIn Profile Summary
Good luck.
