Pounding the Pavement (After You Shovel It!) During the Holidays
by Barry Davis, Senior Consultant and Director of Career Services
As the holiday season bears down on us, the pressing question for the job hunter is: Should I take a break? Is anything really going to happen in the job market before the New Year? Don't I deserve to take a bit of a respite from this brutal search, chill out during this chilly weather and relax by the fire with eggnog?
Well, yes and no. To be sure, taking some time during the holidays to enjoy the season and appreciate those around you is a great idea. This is certainly NOT the time to pull out the plastic and run up a tab with the retail industry, but having a sensible, enjoyable holiday time with family and friends is something you DO deserve.
That being said, please allow us to make a case for maintaining a certain level of job search activity between now and the din of the noisemakers on the first day of the New Year.
1. This is a great time to meet people.
The holidays represent an extraordinary number of opportunities to see and be seen by family, friends and folks from all over. It would be foolish not to consider all of this face time as a resource to increase your positive visibility. Please understand the importance of your attitude and approach, however. Nothing can put the damper on a festive gathering more quickly than someone who is pumping the crowd for job leads, or who has the deer-in-the-headlights look of someone who has been walked off the employment plank! Be sure to focus your contact with others in a positive manner, seeking information, advice and referral to investigate and consider alternatives. Remember the luxury of simply giving advice and referral to investigate and consider alternatives. Remember that most individuals truly would like to help, but are at a loss on how to be of assistance. Allow them the luxury of simply giving advice or ideas rather than 1) feeling pressed to deliver a killer lead or 2) staring through you to someone, anyone at the other side of the room. Our experience has been that unless you set up a positive interaction, most people will choose Door Number 2!
An additional word of warning: be sure that your solicitation of next-step options is not the first question on your list, nor is it the only item of conversation. Ease into these topics. Ask how they are doing, what is new in their lives. Show honest interest and concern for them as people, not as networking contacts. Also, help them realize that you are in investigation mode, not desperate for a pay stub.
2. Many decision makers are at home, not on the road.
One of the challenges of the job search process is navigating through the maze of individuals who need to participate in the hiring decision. In mid-August, for example, it is often difficult to get the right people in the same room (or even in the same state) long enough to give their opinions, since Smitty is at Myrtle Beach and Ms. Jones just left for New England. This is not as true during the holidays!
Many people will be staying nearer to home, traveling less and becoming more accessible to give feedback on your candidacy. Although the hiring process may not be at the top of the holiday list, there are still decisions being made, perhaps even more quickly due to the availability of decision makers. In addition, the end of the year is often the time when budgets are being reviewed and finalized, and hiring plans are starting to take shape. Remember: the best time to look for work is always the present!
3. Holiday spirit is in the air.
Not everyone is an Ebenezer Scrooge. Even individuals who have no special feelings or affiliations about the holiday season are typically in a positive, upbeat, perhaps even more relaxed mood. They are likely to be more amenable to brief chats, a friendly email, or short networking exchanges. After all, 'tis the season to be jolly! By the way, there is a good chance that this may not be the case if you try to network with someone in the checkout lane on Christmas Eve!
4. Your competition may be reduced.
Many of your fellow seekers may decide that this is simply not the time to pursue employment leads (for all the reasons we gave earlier) and mothball their interview outfits until sometime in mid-January. As a result, there is high potential that your competition for employment opportunities will dwindle. Why not take advantage of this "thinning of the field" of candidates to forge ahead? As they decide not to check up on an application until early next year, your well-placed voicemail message or short update via email may improve your standing in the candidate pool. After all, in the wild and woolly world of employment search, you need to work every opportunity to your advantage!
5. Pace yourself!
Now that we have made our unassailable arguments for burning up the snow-covered pavement with your employment search, let's introduce the other side of the issue - it IS the holidays! Be sure to take time to care for you and yours, to be thankful for what you do have, to appreciate your blessings. And perhaps, even sip a flagon of eggnog at least once in front of a crackling fire!
Happy holidays and best wishes from the Career Team!
Barry Davis, MS, CTC, MCDP, is Head of Career Services and a Senior Consultant at LMA Consulting Group. He is a Certified Talent Consultant and Master Career Development Professional. Contact Barry at 717.509.8889, ext. 226 or via email bdavis@lmaconsulting.cc.
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