Career Advice Podcasts & Job Seeker Network

Keeping Momentum during the Holiday

Holidays can be tough when you’re looking for work. It seems like you can’t get anything done and each time you call or send an e-mail you get an out of office reply. Those two weeks before and after a major holiday can be frustrating for setting appointments and making calls, but they don’t have to put a halt to moving your job search forward.

1) Send an e-mail note to your contacts, wishing them a safe and happy holiday weekend. It’s a perfect opportunity to stay in front of them without feeling like a pest. Building good will goes along way when the time comes to cash in for a reference, contact or lead.

2) Write your elevator speech and practice it at the family picnic.

3) Read the latest press releases from the companies you’re interested in. If they’ve won an award, or been named in an article, prepare a message to someone you might know in the company and congratulate them on the good news.

4) Check out the Inc 500 & 5000 index for small, private companies in your local area that are experiencing large growth. These companies have made these lists due to their great growth, which often translates to jobs. Many times they’ve grown so fast, they don’t have the sophisticated recruiting processes of large companies and are more open to accepting direct inquires for informational interviews.

5) Sign up for some professional groups on LinkedIn. If there are alumni groups or professional associations you’re affiliated with sign up to get updates from the group. These groups are free and provide a wealth of information such as job postings, articles, discussion boards and local meet-up groups.

6) Set up a Twitter account, play with how it works and find people in your industry to follow. It’s an invaluable source of information for sharing and learning about trends in your profession. Once you get accustom to its functionality and participating in conversation, you’ll begin to build your own following and professional network.

7) Check out meetup.com for any local networks that schedule regular meet-up events. This can be a group with a shared hobby, such as photography or reading, or more professional groups for realtors, marketers and lawyers. Either way, it builds your network and provides a forum for learning and development.

And finally, have a hamburger, hot dog and enjoy some free time. Just because you’re not working doesn’t mean, you’re not working.