The holiday season is a beautiful time of year. But it often comes with unique stresses that make maintaining focus a challenge, especially if you are looking for a new job. Dividing your time between work and family obligations can be hard enough, and adding a job search to the mix might seem impossible.
Instead of letting your job search fall to the wayside, consider changing your strategy. Here are some tips to keep your job search going as we approach the new year.
Schedule Your Search
While it may seem strange to treat your job search like an appointment, it can help you guarantee that the time you need to set aside. Even if you can only set up 15 minutes a day, those small efforts will help you stay on track and keep you moving forward. Remember, numerous small steps are still steps in the right direction.
Set Mini Goals
Give yourself a series of mini goals to reach throughout the week. It can be to check certain sites for opportunities, clean up your LinkedIn profile, or retool your resume. With each small task, give yourself permission to put the list down once you have completed the current step.
You can coordinate these goals with specific 15-minute time slots on your calendar, or choose from the list whenever you have set the time to work on your search. By keeping things small, it makes each task feel more manageable than when looking at the situation as a whole.
Update Your Job Board Profiles
Take the time to update your job board profiles now. Make sure your work history is accurate, and that your contact information is correct. If you have the option to add a copy of your resume, then upload that now as well. You may also want to create a few templates for cover letters based on the positions you are seeking so that you have a foundation ready to customize.
By handling these in advance, you have set yourself up to use less time when you are actually applying to positions. You won’t have to correct profile information unexpectedly and will have cover letters available that can be adjusted to the job.
Use Job Alerts
Most job boards allow you to create alerts for postings that match certain criteria, and you can also set notification through various search engines based on keywords. Take a few minutes to set these alerts and have them directed to an email you check frequently. That way, if an ideal opportunity does arrive, you can go directly to it and apply in minutes (or faster, if your profile is updated). Applying for the position won’t take a large amount of time from your day, and you might be able to complete it from your smartphone while on-the-go.
Get Help from Qualified Employment Professionals
Sometimes the easiest way to keep your job search going during the holidays is to work with professional staffing companies. TempStaff has the knowledge, skills, and resources to help streamline your job search. That means you don’t have to stop looking for new opportunities even during the busiest part of the holiday season. Contact TempStaff today and let their expertise work for you.