Job Seeking Around the Holidays? Check out 20 Tips to be a Standout Candidate!
A wreath with tiny octopuses wearing Santa hats! Celebrating the Christmas season in Sipley the Best style.
What better gift for Christmas than the gift of a great job? If you’re job seeking around the busy holiday season, check out these 20 simple tips to be the candidate that stands out among the winter flurry of applicants that employers are receiving.
If you would like more guidance, we offer A Job Seeker's Crash Course, with over 2 hours of pre-recorded coaching with Dawn Sipley, President of Sipley the Best with 20+ yrs of experience in HR. Having worked with hundreds of companies with their recruitment efforts, leading to thousands of individuals gaining employment and helping negotiate millions of dollars of salary, Dawn has inside knowledge of what employers look for in potential candidates. The course is a one-time fee of $44.99, but if you use the link above, or the coupon code HOLIDAYS, you’ll receive an exclusive discount pricing the program at $14.99.
Before You Apply
Develop a diverse job search strategy. Utilize widely used job boards, attend hiring events, and drive around your area to find locations that are hiring.
Know your search criteria. Save yourself the time of doom scrolling on job board postings. Decide what is important to you. Do you want a customer-facing role or a more administrative position? Are you looking for a commissioned job with opportunities for motivated employees, or a role with a consistent salary? Are you seeking hybrid options, or prefer a traditional 9 to 5 in the office?
Create a schedule. Job seeking is a full time job so set aside time in your regular schedule to research, apply, and follow up.
Create an amazing resume. Your resume should be a beautiful document free of grammatical or syntactical errors that clearly describes your qualifications, education, and experiences.
Write a compelling cover letter. It should not be a duplication of your resume, but describe your unique value to the employer.
Research the companies you’re applying at. Know the goods and services they provide, their values, their culture, and what they’re seeking in an ideal candidate.
Check your email address; be sure it’s a professional address.
Check your voicemail; if your greeting message was made when you were 15 years old, it may need an update!
Clean up your social media. Employers search you online, so be sure your presence across different platforms is the image you want to convey.
After You Apply
Track your applications. The last thing you want is a recruiter or hiring manager calling you to invite you for an interview, and needing to ask, “What position is this?”
Follow up on your applications. If you can send a message, call the employer, or follow up with your company contact, it’s important to do so if you haven’t heard back.
Plan how you will attend an interview if invited to one. If you are currently employed, plan in advance how you will take time off work, if you’ll schedule the interview during your lunch break, or if you will need to request an interview time outside of business hours.
Check your emails, including your junk inbox, for follow ups from your applications.
Also check your voicemails and respond even when it says spam. Don’t risk missing out on an important call!
Be responsive and follow up swiftly. Know that they are receiving a high volume of applications and candidates, and you don’t want to get lost in the shuffle.
Preparing For Your Interview
Mock interview with a trusted friend or family member. Choose someone who can give you honest feedback. About 92% of job seekers have anxiety around interviews, and practice can help alleviate those pre-interview nerves.
Prepare questions specific to the company. You can’t know everything about the role, but you can prepare well-informed, intelligent questions based on the information you have about this role and the company.
Practice walking, sitting, bending, and moving in the outfit you plan to interview in. The day of the interview is not the day when you want to realize you have an ill-fitting outfit!
Bring extra copies of your resume and a pad portfolio to take notes. You won’t want to forget important information about the position they may share during your interview.
Plan to come no more than 15 minutes early. Try driving your route so that you know exactly how to get to your interview and can show up on time.
We wish you “Sipley the best” this holiday season finding a job that’s better than a beautiful present under the Christmas tree!
