Lifelete Fundamentals
December 1, 2015
Welcome to peak hiring season. In a CNBC article, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas predicted retailers will add 755,000 employees to their payrolls in the final three months of the year. Snagajob.com recently predicted 94% of all seasonal jobs will be filled by the end of November. In true holiday spirit, seasonal jobs are readily available for the taking. In the spirit of keeping it real, let’s not forget it is long-term careers we’re all seeking. With Amazon’s plans to add 100,000 seasonal hires this year, and retain 25,000 of those hires full-time employees, you can certainly turn a seasonal job into a long-term career. Click here for a complete list of top U.S. Retailer’s seasonal hiring projections.
For seasonal job seekers, the importance of staying application ready cannot be overstated. With high demand, positions will fill up quickly. Contact your AthLife advisor to ensure you have your application materials prepared to submit when you find the seasonal job for you.
For those exclusively seeking long-term careers, Phil Rosenberg, President of reCareered explains why the numbers are also in your favor for securing full-time employment, “What ends up happening is that hiring managers put a great deal of pressure on recruiters to be able to get them candidates and set up interviews before everyone in the company goes away for Christmas break.” Despite the push to bring in candidates before holiday break, the actual hiring process may take longer for full-time job seekers. In many cases, employers will convene after the holidays to make a final hiring decision from their candidate pool.
For full-time job seekers, the task is twofold; make yourself available to recruiters and personal contacts, and utilize the holiday break by networking to stay on the radar of employers returning to their offices in January to bring in the new year with new employees. Fortunately, these tasks are easiest to accomplish over the holiday season. Take advantage of the holiday season using the following tips:
- Attend both work related and personal holiday gatherings.
- Send holiday greetings to contacts through mail, email or social media.
- Be vocal about your career goals – having a pitch prepared describing your career history, current skills, and desired career title will yield greater results than simply informing others you are on the job market.
- Carry business cards with you. If you are not currently employed, simply having a card with your name, email, phone, and LinkedIn address shows others you are ready to follow through on the next career opportunity.
- Have a master resume prepared that can be easily tailored to specific job postings
As always, contact your AthLife advisor to develop the right holiday career search strategy for you.
