Gaining the "Competetive Edge"...

𝐌𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞.

Here are 7 things job seekers can do to gain a 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 during the Holidays...

𝟏. 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: The holidays are filled with networking opportunities like holiday parties, community events, and professional gatherings. Itu's certainly different NOW than it used to be, but this can still be achieved...

𝟐. 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞: Tailor your resume to highlight seasonal job skills and achievements relevant to your target roles.
Many companies fill positions in December or early January, making this a critical time to stand out.

𝟑. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧: Many job seekers pause their search during the holidays, but hiring managers still need to fill roles. With fewer applicants, your application might receive more attention. Keep in mind, many Orgs have new fiscal years that start January 1st so there's usually a bump in openings.

𝟒. 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬: Use downtime to complete certifications or attend webinars relevant to your industry. Acquiring new skills demonstrates proactivity and keeps your knowledge current then smack those newfound skills on LinkedIn and your resume!

𝟓. 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Reach out to professional contacts with warm, personalized holiday wishes. This gesture keeps you top-of-mind without directly asking for job referrals.

𝟔. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬: Many companies schedule interviews for early January, so use December to prepare. Practice answering common interview questions but more importantly, the ones you DON'T want asked...

𝟕. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲: The average job opening attracts 250 applications with some getting as many as 1,000! The average recruiter is trying to fill a dozen positions. The average application to interview rate is 3-4%. This doesn't happen overnight so set your expectations accordingly.

My strong advice would be to initiate at least 2 of these by no more than 4. Quality over Quantity comes into play so you probably want to devote your precious time, especially during the holidays to the things that will have the greatest ROI, whatever you deem that to be.

#resumes #careers #7secondresume #resumetips #careerchange #holidays