Thinking about a change of job in the New Year? Many candidates tend to slow down their job hunting process as we get closer to the Christmas and New Year period, when in reality the holidays are the perfect time to pick up the momentum and maximise your opportunities to get in front of the right people.<\/p>\n
So what should you be doing? Here are our \u201ctop tips\u201d for making the most of the holiday season:<\/p>\n
Reflect \u2013<\/span><\/strong> Take the opportunity to look back over the year and think about your genuine highs and lows when it comes to your work. What do you really want to achieve with your next career move?<\/p>\n Family insight \u2013<\/span><\/strong> Talk to your friends and family about what they consider to be your skills and strengths and get their insights into potential career paths. After all, they know you best!<\/p>\n Build your online connections \u2013<\/span><\/strong> if you have some downtime, start reconnecting with people via LinkedIn and Facebook or making new connections. The holiday season gives you a good reason to get in touch! Word of mouth can be one of the most important tools at your disposal with your job hunt, so use existing networks to get your name out there.<\/p>\n Update update update!<\/span><\/strong> Update your CV, update your social media profiles, google yourself and see what is visible to potential employers. Don\u2019t have a LinkedIn profile? Set one up!<\/p>\n Schedule \u2013<\/span><\/strong> it might be the last thing you want to do over the summer holidays, but forcing yourself to set aside some time each day to check job boards, or work on your applications, can do wonders. It\u2019s doesn\u2019t have to be a big chunk of time, but keeping yourself in the job-hunt mind-set will ensure you are better prepared if you do get the call and also means you won\u2019t miss anything!<\/p>\n Research \u2013<\/span><\/strong> take the time to look up organisations and companies that you would like to work for, or job titles that are of interest. You might discover places or jobs that you didn\u2019t even know existed!<\/p>\n Be proactive \u2013<\/span><\/strong> now that you have done some research, get in touch! There might be roles that haven\u2019t been advertised yet so beat the crowds and contact potential employers or recruiters directly. And typically because of the misconception that places don\u2019t hire at this time of year, you will be up against fewer candidates!<\/p>\n Make sure you take time to enjoy yourself as well, but don\u2019t be fooled into thinking that there\u2019s no point in looking during this period. Holiday season can be the perfect time to ramp things up as Managers have pressure to get things ready for the new year, budgets might need to be spent, other duties may slow down which means more time to focus on hiring, and processes can happen faster if they are in a rush to get things signed off before the break.<\/p>\n Wishing you all the best with your job search,
\nKirsty and Nikki<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n