Vicinity Jobs: Should I Wait till January with my Job Search?

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Should I Wait till January with my Job Search?
Nicholas Crandall, Resource and Information Specialist at Job Skills

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If you have decided to wait until January to do your job search I encourage you to reconsider.

The majority of people that are looking for work are going to be looking at the beginning of January. If you start your job search now you will have less competition. Don’t forget networking, the holiday season is party time. Bring your networking cards along with you and get to know people who might be hiring and don’t forget to follow up with your new connections. When you are out shopping for those last minute gifts and find yourself in a 30 minute line up start talking to the people around you and you may meet your next employer. Another tip for networking is to write down where you met the person on the back of their business card shortly after meeting with them. This will help to jog your memory when you are looking through your business cards to follow up with potential employers.

The biggest challenge when looking for work in December is staying motivated. One strategy for your December job search is to create a task list for each day. Remember it is important to make your list realistic so you can accomplish it or you will feel discouraged when it is incomplete by the end of the day. Typical items you can include on your task list for the day can be:

Research and apply to two jobs
Re-vamp your resume
Do some labour market research
Network with three new people
Follow up with all submitted job applications
Create a script for cold calling
Cold call three companies
Update your job search log book

Another strategy for getting rid of the December job searching blues is to create a positive working environment to do your job search. The work environment that you are planning to search for work in should be clean, organized and free from clutter. This area should also be free from distractions; you may want to use your local library or employment services centre like Job Skills. Treat your job search day as a work day. This means getting up early, doing your daily grooming routine and dressing as you would for work. This may seem silly but it will increase your productivity and your confidence when you are making calls to employers.

If you have any questions as to how to make your job search more effective through networking, cold calling, labour market research, or creating a job search log, check out an Employment Ontario Employment Services Centre (http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/search.asp )near you.

Nick is currently a Resource and Information Specialist at Job Skills. He graduated from Sheridan College with Honours in the field of Social Service Work. He assists clients who are looking for work by helping them to become job ready.


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