The new year is almost (almost!) upon us, which means a new year of resolutions which may or may not be kept.
Ensure your career resolutions for the new year are kept by following these helpful tips:
Network, network, network
It's no secret that most job vacancies aren't even advertised, and cold-calling a company to see if they have vacancies tends to result in your resume landing on a stack as tall as the Chrystler building. Instead, network. Talk to friends and family members, and ask them to ask their friends and coworkers if there's any vacancies at their job. Pass your resume around, and get yourself out there.
Like Carissa discussed in an earlier post and also here, the lull of the holiday season is the perfect time to sharpen your networking chops and start making new contacts or reconnect with old ones.
LinkedIn
On the networking note, LinkedIn is a great resource to connect with former and current coworkers, and also to discover new contacts and job opportunities. www.linkedin.com
Hedge your bets and increase your odds
Or basically, don't put all your eggs in one basket, especially if you are going the temporary staffing route. Different staffing agencies have relationships with different companies which present a diverse array of job opportunities, so it pays for you to enroll with multiple agencies. Doing so only increases your odds of landing a successful job offer, it cannot diminish it. Simply Google for staffing agencies in your area to get started.
The same applies if you applied to a permanent job somewhere but haven't heard back from the company yet. Don't stop, keep searching and applying. Even when you're at the interview phase of your hunt, you should keep your search momentum up.
Review your resume
These quiet weeks are the perfect time for you to revise your resume, and add any additional work (be it paid or charitable) that you've done recently. Make sure all of your key skills and achievements are listed.
The holiday season (barring short-term retailer hiring) is a quiet hiring period, but it's not a quiet period for hiring decisions or budget planning. Capitalize on the time of year wisely and get your name out with ease.