How to Get a Job During the Holidays: 14 Seasonal Job Search Tips
What is one tip to get a job during the holidays?
To help you get a job during the holidays, we asked HR, recruiting professionals and business leaders this question for their insights. From applying early to volunteering, there are several ways to get ahead in your search for jobs during the holiday season.
Here are 14 tips for getting a job during the holidays:
- Volunteer to Grow Your Network
- Beat Your Competition and Apply Early
- Try Your Shot in a Smaller Town
- Apply for Seasonal Work at Major Retailers
- Put Your Best Foot Forward
- Look into Businesses You Already Support
- Show Your Connection to the Company
- Try Delivery Companies
- Show Gratitude
- Attend Holiday Parties
- Stay Connected During Your Holiday Job Search
- Highlight Your Strongest Skills
- Don’t Take a Break From Your Job Search
- Reconnect With Your Social Network
Volunteer to Grow Your Network
Volunteering during the holidays is a great idea. You can easily find volunteer opportunities in your area. Volunteering can help you expand your network and develop soft skills that employers value. It’s also a wonderful chance to give back to your community and assist people in need.
Volunteer opportunities can be found online or by contacting local food banks, homeless shelters, or other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in your region. During the holidays, even animal shelters require volunteers. In fact, because everyone is getting ready for the holidays, animal shelters may see a minor drop in volunteers.
Randall Smalley, Cruise America
Beat Your Competition and Apply Early
If you need a job during the holidays, don’t wait until November or December to start applying for one. Businesses often anticipate their staffing needs several months out, and onboarding can take time even for seasonal hires.
Don’t forget that there are a lot of other like-minded people looking for jobs during the holidays, too. You stand a better chance at beating the competition and getting a job somewhere you’d like to work at if you start applying in late September or early October.
Zachary McCarty, Qwick
Try Your Shot in a Smaller Town
Typically, smaller towns become vacant in the winter, with everyone on vacation or making their way to warmer locations. During these times, small towns need to keep their economies running and typically are looking for workers.
If you are open to temporarily relocating for the season, try calling local managers at the towns that you are interested in. The shortage of workers also means that you could potentially negotiate your wage.
Thylan Le, Markitors
Apply for Seasonal Work at Major Retailers
Major retailers like Walmart offer more jobs during the holidays to keep up with increased demand. You should showcase yourself as a hard worker willing to take a seasonal job, and then work diligently to prove yourself as a seasonal employee worthy of a full-time position.
Wesley Jacobs, Apollo Medical Travel LLC
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Don’t undervalue the importance of making a good first impression. Professional dress is required for the interview.
Even if the job specifies that you should dress in jeans and a sweatshirt, you should respect the employer by visiting them in clothes that demonstrate your commitment to being recognized as someone who is concerned about their appearance and the impact it has on others.
Are you stumped as to what to wear? We advocate dressing conservatively, one step above what the company’s present employees are wearing. You want to appear professional, but not as if you don’t belong in the office.
Sumit Bansal, TrumpExcel
Look Into Businesses You Already Support
Think of the places you frequent. For instance, if there’s a coffee shop where you go often, consider sending in an application and letting this business know that you are a recurring customer if they do not know already.
It can help to express a liking to what the business does rather than not having any previous experience either working for or being a supporter of this or similar businesses.
Kristen Dole, Nowadays
Show Your Connection to the Company
Employers want individuals who are enthusiastic about their work. Why? Because they understand that excitement leads to improved performance.
Always send a thank you message after each job interview. It’s simply courteous, and you’ll gain brownie points with the recruiting manager. Even if you are rejected or never hear back about a job, send an email thanking the business for the opportunity and wishing them luck in finding the best applicant for the job.
Don’t be resentful. Be kind in your actions. You can never predict what will happen in the future. You could choose to apply for a different position at the company later on. Don’t let your annoyance get the better of you.
Remember, if you’re turned down, it’s not because they said, “No, never.” Rather, they said, “Not today.”
Gerrid Smith, Joy Organics
Try Delivery Companies
Deliveries increase throughout the holidays as a result of all those internet orders, necessitating large seasonal hiring by delivery companies. UPS and FedEx are increasing the number of delivery assistants who may accompany drivers to assist with package delivery or who may meet the driver on the route and distribute items on foot in communities. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta all have a lot of delivery driver jobs.
Edward Mellett, Wikijob
Show Gratitude
When I was looking for a job, I always sent a thank you message after each job interview. It’s simply courteous, and you’ll gain points with the recruiting manager. Even if I get rejected or never hear back about the job, I wrote an email thanking the company for the chance and wishing them luck finding the best applicant for the position.
Axel Hernborg, Tripplo.com
Attend Holiday Parties
Go to as many holiday parties and lunches as you can. People are more relaxed at those types of gatherings, and they are prime spots to network and connect with people regarding new job opportunities.
Don’t be shy. Approach people, and let them know exactly what you’re looking for and in what timeframe. Making that effort will pay off.
Adam Reed, Crown & Paw
Stay Connected During Your Holiday Job Search
Searching for a job during the holidays can be difficult as many recruiters and managers are out of the office, so it’s important to follow up with contacts. Sending a follow-up email once the holiday season is over is the most efficient way to stay connected and show your interest in the position.
Thank you notes are also a great way to show appreciation after an interview that will surely make a candidate stand out from the other applicants. While the holiday season is the busiest time of the year for many, staying connected is the best way to turn a potential job into an offer.
Lance Herrington, UNICO Nutrition
Highlight Your Strongest Skills
From the get-go, you want to clearly communicate what you bring to the table with your most in-demand skills and why hiring you is a no-brainer. So whether it’s the summary, skills section, or first bullet point of your experience, you want the recruiter to quickly understand why you’d make a great addition to the team.
This, in turn, should be the theme of your resume: your strongest suits which show the employer why you can hit the ground running and be a valuable asset from day one.
Peter Bryla, ResumeLab
Don’t Take a Break From Your Job Search
As an HR manager, but also as someone who has searched for a job during the holidays, I would advise you to not take a break during the holidays.
Almost every human being on the planet tends to slow down. If you want to get a job during the holidays, you need to keep going and keep searching for open positions.
Companies will appreciate this step and attitude. The number of applicants shrinks this time of year. If fewer people are applying for jobs, you have a much better shot of getting hired before the new year.
Aleksandra Krstevska, Evopure
Reconnect With Your Social Network
The holidays are a notoriously difficult period in which to find work. During a time in which business starts to slow down, the hiring process tends to follow suit. To ensure that you’re able to find a role regardless, be sure to reconnect with your contacts on social media.
Remember, as we inch closer to the end of the year, projects start wrapping up. This gives hiring managers a little extra time to use social media and connect with talented individuals such as yourself.
This is an opportunity for you to build a connection with those who work for the companies you’re interested in, and to take more action than simply sending in a resume. By being proactive, seeking out these contacts, and expanding your network, you’ll start seeing a lot more opportunities present themselves.
Tina Hawk, GoodHire
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