Yes! Absolutely!
Many people feel that it's unlikely to get anywhere during the holidays and have a similar mindset when thinking about the summer months.
While it's true that communication and follow-up might be a little more challenging at these times, you end up having a really great competitive advantage. The number of people aggressively searching during the holidays and over the summer, slims out, giving you a better chance of landing an opportunity.
The other piece is many companies, especially those on a calendar year budget, will have req's opening and budgets approved over Q4 and into January. If you have kept up your networking and search strategy, it's you that will be at the forefront of that hiring manager/connections mind once they have or hear of a suitable opening.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Holidays are a great time to connect -Think holiday parties, greeting cards, local events. Have your "pitch" ready and a business card to leave behind if you have one. It's also a good time to reconnect with people we may have lost touch with.
Seasonal Jobs/Temp Work- Can lead to full time employment. Might just be a way to get a foot in the door at a target company
Volunteer- Personally I love this idea because the act of volunteering can do so much for the soul. Giving back can also provide one with an injection of positive energy and motivation during quieter times. In terms of job seeking, it's another place to network, and it adds to your skill set and story - highlighting your character and what you are passionate about to a potential future employer.
To help you find that perfect volunteer opportunity that's in your area here are three websites you can use to search and contact nonprofits for volunteer opportunities:
VolunteerMatch.org. Using VolunteerMatch.org to search for volunteer activities is really straightforward and very simple.
Idealist.org
HandsOn Network
The holiday season can also be a great time to review your resume, refresh your LinkedIn profile, set new goals.
If your interested in a resume review, help with your LinkedIn profile, or to book a career coaching session, please email info@jlmcareers.com