Holiday Job Hunting Blues? 5 Fantastic Reasons To Apply For Positions In December

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Looking for a job in December, and not getting much traction?

It's true, hiring activity does slow down late in the year as hiring managers and recruiters take their Christmas vacation, and corporate Finance teams clamp down on spending to goose the end-of-the-year numbers.

But don't lose hope. The end of the year can still be a great time to look for jobs. Here's why:

1. There are fewer applicants during the holidays. Job hunters are often just as distracted as potential employers, pulled into holiday shopping, vacation, and office parties – which means less competition and a better chance of having your resume reviewed.
    
2. Some positions really do need to be filled, regardless of the season. Urgently. While some hiring managers are off skiing in the Poconos or at home making holiday fruit cakes, some recruiters are still clocking in. And they're actively working on filling jobs for managers who are also in the office, screaming loudly about their need to fill the position. You won't know which posted positions are critical – so act as if they all are, and apply away. Be the gift that mysteriously appears under the hiring manager's tree (metaphorically speaking, of course).
    
3. The office environment is more relaxed during the holidays. Unless you work in retail, the pace of activity slows substantially during December. People are in a good mood. Let this work in your favor – should you be called for an interview, you may find yourself ina  more pleasant, in-depth meeting with the hiring manager than during crunch time. It's a great opportunity to build a bond when you're not rushed and don't find yourself competing for attention with your interviewer's email and a buzzing phone.
    
4. Your current employer will be less suspicious of time taken off for interviews. Between school Christmas pageants, holiday parties, and picking up visiting relatives at the airport, employers anticipate a lot of PTO will be used in December. You won't be missed.
    
5. Hiring picks up again in January. Big time. Be ready. Everyone's back in the office, and working at full speed. Managers will buzz the recruiter, demanding resumes for their open positions. If you applied in December, you're ready to be found. If you wait until January 2, it may be too late.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Real Job Hunting and Interview Advice – From Real Recruiters

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Nobody comes in contact with more job seekers on a day-to-day basis than recruiters. It doesn't matter if they work inside an employer's Human Resources department, or if they're employed by a staffing agency – they're going to meet, screen, and evaluate more candidates than anyone else on the planet.

I took an informal poll of HR leaders and professional recruiters. I asked them the following:

"What is the one piece of advice you would offer to job seekers as they apply to or interview for opportunities?"

Learn from their feedback! Here's their advice – raw and unfiltered (in no particular order):

ON APPLYING TO JOBS:

• I would definitely advise job seekers to apply to a position for which they have the skills and experience required – that is the job they are are looking for, and not to apply just because of the company or level (of the position).

• Way back when I was not a recruiter, I wish I had known to use a professional email address when applying. I had a nickname as an email address, and it was one of the reasons why I didn't get any call backs.

• My advice would be to have good phone and email etiquette. Be excited, use spell check, do not be too informal, but show your personality and follow up quickly.

• Research the company, the company’s products, and the industry.  I'm surprised sometimes how some people don’t bother to do so.

• Persistence, persistence, persistence. Always follow up if possible, and network.

• During the transition process, while applying for jobs, use free training resources to keep yourself abreast of the workforce.

ON INTERVIEWING:

• Practice for the interview. Be able to answer questions and ask questions through your resume.

• Have a mock interview done for you.

• Candidates should bring a copy of their resume (even though I send it to the hiring manager, they like to see the candidate come prepared).

• Dress professionally – a suit for men, and a dress, skirt, or pants for women.

• Research your interviewer.

• Research the company and division you are interviewing with, get familiar with what they do.

• Come with questions to ask the interviewer about the role.

• Always always be your authentic self. Otherwise you and the company risk being mismatched and therefore resulting in turnover.

• Of course, research the company before the interview, so you’re able to speak to it.

• Dress appropriately, there's nothing worse than being distracted from someone’s’ skills because of their presentation.

• I would tell candidates to try to tailor their experience to the scope of the role they are applying for. I used to tell candidates if you are applying for a position that is more analytical it’s not necessarily helpful to go into great detail about the camp counselor role you held 5 years ago, unless your role as a counselor had some sort of statistical analysis responsibilities or something.

• One thing I’ve noticed that shoots candidates in the foot is going in with a self-deprecating attitude. Starting off with, “I’ve never done X,” or “I don’t have experience in X,” always seems to leave the hiring leaders with the notion that because they may not have 1 or 2 skills, that they are not suitable for the role.

• I would tell them to make sure they do some research about the company. It is a pet peeve of mine when I speak to an applicant and they have no idea what the company does.

• Prepare for the interview. Research all about the position, the company, and the job description.

• Be curious…. about everything.

• My advice to candidates would be to be prepared for that interview!  Go back to basics and really prepare – you only get one chance to pass the gatekeeper!

• Be excited about the opportunity for which you are interviewing. A passionate candidate who shows sincere ambition to want to work for the company and do a good job in the position rates far above a more qualified applicant who just knows how to say the right answers.

• Candidates should remember that the interview is a two-way process. They should research the company and prepare questions in advance that will help them ascertain whether the company is a good cultural fit for them.

• They should find their unique selling point. Everybody is 'organized, hardworking, motivated, creative, flexible' these days. Gets very boring!

• Confidence. It is difficult to interview people who are nervous or second doubt themselves. If the applicant wants to answer only "yes or no" to the questions I ask, I can imagine how the communication with customers will go.

• Be excited about the opportunity for which you are interviewing. A passionate candidate who shows sincere ambition to want to work for the company and do a good job in the position rates far above a more qualified application who just knows how to say the right answers.

• Be confident. The interview goes both ways, you should also interview the organization to make sure it is the right fit for you.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Job Hunting Zen Thought of the Week – September 4, 2015

Here is your Job Hunting Zen Thought of the Week!

Some companies put in place a lot of hurdles prior to making a hiring decision - interviews, drug tests, background checks, reference checks, aptitude tests...

Rest assured, the corporate recruiter on the other side of the desk is just as nervous about this daunting process as you are. They need to fill the job, and if they find the right candidate but they don't pass one of these hurdles, they need to find somebody else. Time and effort down the drain.

The more you know about the hiring process, the more you can put the recruiter at ease that they have nothing to worry about. Being proactive with presenting data like references and a solid work history can make the recruiter feel more comfortable with you as a candidate, and more willing to help expedite through the process. As can making sure you fill in every field on the application, so there are fewer questions about what you opted to leave off.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.