4 Holiday Hiring Tips to Hone Your Job Search

4 Holiday Hiring Tips to Hone Your Job Search4 Holiday Hiring Tips to Hone Your Job SearchThe holiday season is quickly approaching and since nobody hires during the holidays, youre probably thinking that now is a good time to take a brief sabbatical from your job search, right? Wrong.If youre buying into the holiday hiring myths that nobody hires during the holidays- or that employers are focusing on hiring seasonal help and they dont have time to look for permanent employees, especially those looking for executive-level positions- then youre probably going to miss out on potential opportunities. Employers will be hiring this holiday season, and there are plenty of things you should doto find your next job (and taking a job search sabbatical isnt one of them).Many candidates do feed into the holiday hiring myths and stigma, but diligent job seekers will have a competitive edge over those who decide to put their job search on hold until after the holidays. Even companies that close d uring the holiday season wont stop the hiring process if they have jobs that need to be filled.Here are some holiday job hunting tips to debunk the holiday hiring myths andmotivate you to end the year with a new job1. Update your resume and career tools.Before you do anything, revisit your resume, cover letter, and reference information. A strategically written resume thats error-free and has a clean, eye-catching format is critical in todays job market.Highlighting your accomplishments upfront, especially where youve added value to an organization, is an easy way to stand out above other candidates. Contact your references and ensure that you not only have accurate contact information for each of them, but also let them know that youre in an active job search and that they may be contacted by potential employers.2. Sharpen your interview skills.Todays interviews are quick and to the point. Always dress for the culture of the company youre interviewing with and read up on the compan ys mission so you have a clear understanding of what they do before you sit down with the hiring manager.Be in the habit of carrying extra copies of your resume and any relevant career documents with you to each interview.3. Network.Networking doesnt stop during the holidaysin fact, it picks up The holiday season offers a multitude of opportunities for mingling and meeting new people at events and parties.Dont let your pride get to you- let people know youre looking for new opportunities and what youre looking for. However, tread carefully and be sure you know your audience. Nobody wants a buzzkill at a holiday party.Business cards arent dead and having a few with you that you can slip to an interested person is a good idea. Dont forget your online networking The holidays are a great time to reach out to your friends and colleagues on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (join groups and check company profile pages) to help you to find potential leads.4. Be patient.This is by far the mos t important rule in a job search, especially during the holiday season. While companies will continue to hire, theyll usually be working with less staff.The hiring process will take longer as there will most likely be several people involved in filling open positions, and some of those people mightbe on vacation or working to close year-end projects.Dont slam the hiring manager with emails and phone calls. This person knows youre waiting and you need to do so with a holly-jolly attitude.With these tips you can avoid the holiday job search sabbatical this year. Instead of being one of many job seekers who are taking time off to feed into the holiday frenzy thats starting, you can be the holiday job search myth buster whoscores the interview and wins the job.Explore the 250Readers, what has worked for you when debunking holiday hiring myths? Tell us in the comment section below