Students: holiday preparation for a job hunt in the new year
The holidays are a great time to unwind, have fun with friends and family, and do some things completely unrelated to school or your career.
But in between the eggnog and Auld Lang Syne, you may also be able to find some time to prepare for a job hunt in the new year.
Once you're back into classes in January, it can take a lot of work to juggle staying on top of school work and your search for paid work all at the same time. There are a number of things you can do over the holiday break to get a head start.
Find some focus
Do you know what kind of work you are going to be looking for? To help give your job search focus, it's important to get more specific than, "I'd like to find a job that I'll love." Great objective, hard to know how to get there.
Ask yourself some questions to narrow things down. What industry? What kind of role? Before starting to look for work, spend some time figuring out what kind of work it is that you want to do.
Read up on job search strategies
While you have a break from reading textbooks and endless journal articles, why not try reading up on job search and career strategies? You can find books at your local library or bookstore.
Online, you can spend some time on sites with job search tips and stories, like TalentEgg. Also, see if your school's career centre has job search information on its website - there might be lots of great information there, and some even have online tutorials or courses you can do from home.
Update your résumé
Have you looked at your résumé since you applied for summer work last year? If not, now is a great time to add in your most recent activities.
Then, take a look at your résumé in a new light - does it seem targeted to what you want to do now (and not still focused on getting last summer's job at a camp)? Whether that's a full-time job after you graduate this year, or a new summer position for those of you returning to school next fall, make your résumé geared to your next step.
Start networking
You've undoubtedly heard it is estimated that 80% of jobs are found through networking. The thing about building your network is, just like Rome, it can't be built in a day. So don't wait until you graduate.
Perhaps over the break you can spend some time contacting people of interest. Do a few informational interviews to learn more about jobs or organizations of interest. You can also reconnect with people who are already in your network - like your former professors, or co-workers and supervisors from past jobs and volunteer work.
Find out about job search support on your campus
Most schools have great services and resources to help your job search along. Check out what services you can use once you get back to campus. Are there workshops? Individual appointments? Networking sessions with employers? Alumni panels? Job postings? Take a look now to see what is coming, and pencil a visit to the career centre into your calendar.
So there are a few things you can do to get a head start on your job searches. Enjoy your holidays!
Cathy Keates is the director of Career Considerations and the author of Not For Sale! Why We Need A New Job Search Mindset
Comments
It is a sad thing isn't it that people are considered to be "wasting their time" to get a degree that gives them some basic outlook on life.
You are supposed to drill from the time you are a teenager to specify your skills so that you can succeed in the job market.
So only people who don't take an English lit or philosophy or fine arts course are supposed to succeed, because they don't have the skills the the market requires.
No wonder we are finding ourselves in a mess with financial scandals and so on. If the only thing that matters is financial success, then all the other things, like ethics, decency and social morality go out the window.
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