Searching For A Job During Holiday Season

While waiting for any response from a job application is an exercise in anxiety this can be especially true during the holiday season. With the plethora of holidays and vacations being taken at this time the job application and review process can take much longer than it usually would. On top of absence of some of the key people involved you will have to deal with the general winding-down malaise of the Christmas period. There are a few things which you can keep in mind to stop yourself going completely mad when waiting for some correspondence from your potential employer.

Make Sure You Know the Process

With your follow-up call after submitting an application you should be able to find out what the exact hiring process is. Usually it is a good idea to find out if any of those people who need to be involved are going to be looking at an application over the holiday period or if the process will be stilted by absence. This should give you a sense of the time frame you are working in.

Contact

Making contact is getting easier and easier in the digital age, and if your interview and application is required to be looked at by several people who are away from the office there is little reason for them not to see it. While this may be true expecting someone to check their blackberry on the beach is a bit of a tall order!

What to Say

When you send your follow-up emails and calls it is best to remain professional and try not to appear needy or desperate. If you appear to be desperate then your chances of the 2nd interview are reasonably limited.

Asking “how long will it take?” is a good way of getting on the wrong side of the company. Instead try to find out how many calendars need to synchronise. This may be more than you think! A Line manager, HR manager, Senior Management and a finical manager will all need to be involved before giving out a job position. The sheer number of people will usually be enough to make it hard work to align them long enough on a good day, let alone a busy Christmas period.

What to Do with Yourself

Twiddling your thumbs appears to be a good option until you realise the time off you have could be put to use – researching for interviews is a good idea. Having a robust knowledge of the company and its workings is a good way to “wow,” your interviewer.

With this in mind you should be able to find hunting for a job during the holiday season bearable!