A New Season with New Opportunities

Fall is in the air.  For anyone looking for a job, it’s time to kick the job search into high gear. Although recruitment cycles vary, the numbers show that the highest rates of hiring are before and after holidays – fall and spring. Making contact during these periods may give you an extra advantage. The good news:

• The Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. It’s the time companies gear up for the fall and winter months.
• Fall is traditionally a time of change and growth and companies are ready to hire.
• October marks the beginning of the fiscal year for some companies and the new year sometimes opens up new headcount.
• Hiring for seasonal workers traditionally peaks in the fall.
• The Manpower Employment Outlook Surveyindicates a positive viewpoint among the 18,000 companies polled nationwide, compared with a mostly gloomy mindset during the same period a year ago. Survey data reveals a seasonally adjusted Outlook of +5% for the fourth quarter of 2010, up from -1% during the same period last year.

Here are some ways to take advantage of this positive time:

• Make networking your highest priority, and push yourself by setting goals
• Monitor and improve your online reputation
• If you haven’t already done so, optimize your LinkedIn profile
• Tailor your resume and cover letter to the specific job you’re targeting
• Once you find a job opening through your network or other sources, find someone you know in the company, so you have a first point of entry. Read our blog on Making Contact with the Employers
• Recruitment via social networks is booming. Find recruiters with urgent need through social media.
• Set up mock interviews so that you’re well prepared when you get that interview call
• Read Jobfully’s series of Interview Wednesday posts to better prepare yourself for interviews
• After you’ve met a new contact, submitted your resume or gone in for an interview, make sure you follow up. Read our blog on The Art of Follow-up
• Make every communication professional
• Evaluate your job search, and figure out what’s working and what isn’t. Are you sending resumes out, but can’t get anyone to call you back? Perhaps you need to step up your resume and focus more on networking
• Are you getting called in for interviews, but haven’t had an offer? Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your pitch and personal presentation. Think about how you can make yourself more marketable while you’re unemployed.
• Be positive and keep the search going