Does hiring come to a halt as the holidays approach? Is the Holiday Season a good time to find a new job?

Office parties, professional get-togethers, and year-end meetings abound during the Holiday Season. While it may be tempting to put your search on hold, that could put you at a disadvantage.

When organizations have a need, they hire regardless of the time of year. As companies complete their financial planning for 2020, they’re under pressure to fill certain openings or risk losing budgets. Hiring managers with new goals are eager to find productive workers.

Because many hiring managers don’t travel much during the holidays, they may have time to meet with job seekers. Several organizations interview in December for positions starting in the New Year.

The fact that many potential candidates don’t job hunt during the holidays is another advantage. Those who plan to leave, wait until the New Year so they can receive year-end bonuses. Others take vacations.

Some successful candidates begin new jobs between Christmas and New Year. Starting work during the holidays can be a bonus. The work pace is usually slower, and new employees have time to settle in. Seasoned employees have time to answer questions.

The interview process may take longer than normal as interviewers take a few days off. That can work to your advantage. You’ll have time to prepare, and have a foot in the door in the New Year.

Holiday Job Search Tips

 — Be prepared. Know yourself and job target. Specify your preferred job title and industry, your special skills and accomplishments, and what you can offer the company (value added). Match your qualifications to employers’ needs. Know key industry words to describe your skills.

— Investigate jobs and prospective employers. Consider small and medium-sized companies. Be resourceful. Check the classifieds, online job boards, local newspapers, business and trade publications, and company websites. Use Google and other search engines to learn about organizations and identify decision makers of desired companies. 

— Use social media. Build an on-line professional profile on Linkedin and Twitter to expand your network. Employers research potential candidates. Ensure information about your professional accomplishments and background is current. Keep personal life private on Facebook; ensure privacy settings are secure.

Consider industry-related Twitter chats to communicate with the right people. Share information by re-tweeting, forwarding links, articles. Contemplate sharing work on high traffic sites like You Tube.

— Prepare an elevator speech. This mini speech introduces yourself, describes your experience, accomplishments and skills, demonstrates your value added, and indicates what you like about the organization. Give speeches over the phone, in person, at professional or other gatherings.

Call hiring managers. Before phoning, investigate the organization and hiring manager. Ask for two minutes. Give your speech conversationally demonstrating how you can help resolve employer challenges like save money, manage people. Be friendly, genuine.

 — Create a separate resume for each job target. Also, design a business card that highlights areas of expertise and directs recipients to your resume in an accessible format, such as the URL for a web page.

— Network at holiday events. Attend as many functions as possible. Include events sponsored by professional associations and Chambers of Commerce. Ask for invitations to friends’ company functions. Go with the objective of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Learning about a great position before it’s advertised is a bonus.

— Present a professional image. Dress conservatively and stay sober. Discuss business in general terms. Talk about industry trends, and what you’ve contributed to your profession. Briefly update others about your situation. Emphasize positive aspects about your search, such as the intriguing people you’ve met.

Be sociable, informal. Don’t aggressively ask for employment information. When work topics come up, casually mention your job search. Discreetly exchange business cards with professional contacts. Follow-up with phone calls in the New Year.

— Send holiday greeting cards ad emails. Mail these to well connected friends and work-related contacts. To be culturally sensitive use generic cards with messages like “Season’s Greetings.” Personalize cards with a pre-printed signature. Write a short note and sign your name. Mail cards early in the season.

— Volunteer. You’ll meet new people, learn about job opportunities, and gain experience and a sense of well being.

— Take a survival job. Temporary work can stretch finances and may lead to a permanent position. Employers often need temporary workers as they try to complete annual goals with regular employees wanting vacation time.

 — Maintain a flexible schedule. Allocate time for job search and relaxation or holiday celebrations. Be available, adaptable. A prospective employer may unexpectedly call. If you’re accessible, you have an advantage.

— Follow-up.  Contact hiring managers within two weeks of sending correspondence. A brief phone call reasserting your interest and strong qualifications for the position is effective.

Persist. You may get your Christmas wish.

Author Bio: Carole Kanchier, PhD, is an internationally recognized newspaper/digital columnist, registered psychologist, coach and author of award winning, Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life.  Kanchier has taught at University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz, University of Alberta, and other institutions of higher learning. Dr. Kanchier is known for her pioneering, interdisciplinary approach to human potential.

Contact: carole@daretochange.com; carole@questersdaretochange.com; www.questersdaretochange.com

Tis the Season for Parties and Job hunting

Author: Dr. Carole Kanchier, career and personal growth expert, is a registered psychologist, coach, speaker and author of the award winning, groundbreaking book, “Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life:” http://www.amazon.com/Questers-Dare-Change-Your-Life/dp/1508408963   

Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life, by Carole Kanchier, redefines career advancement, and shows how to manage lifelong career decision making. https://www.amazon.com/Questers-Dare-Change-Your-Life/dp/1508408963

Purposeful, visionary Questers succeed by strengthening Questers skills. Check your Quester traits: http://www.questersdaretochange.com/services-2/quester-quiz/

Check audible edition: htps://www.audible.com/pd/Questers-Dare-to-Change-Your-Job-and-Life-Audiobook/B07VZNKGJF?asin=B07VZNKGJF&ipRedirectOverride=true&overrideBaseCountry=true&pf_rd_p=34883c04-32e5-4474-a65d-0ba68f4635d3&pf_rd_r=TN801GRP49AWQSSYMDYC1

Best wishes for starting 2020.with 2020 vision.

Carole Kanchier, PhD

carole@questersdaretochange.com; www.questersdaretochange.com

Telephone skills are crucial for career success! The telephone is the most common business tool and its proper use is essential for career advancement.

Talking with a potential client, customer or colleague on the phone can sometimes be challenging. Without seeing an individual’s face, messages can become muddled and meanings misinterpreted.

Are you telephone savvy?

When you make calls do you:

1. State your message briefly and clearly?
2. Leave your name, organization and phone number, repeating these twice, slowly and clearly?
3. Give the full name of the person for whom you’re leaving the message?
4. State the date and time of the call?
5. State whether you’ll call back or you’d like the other person to call?
6. Ask for a return call at a time you’ll be available?

When you receive calls, do you:

8. Identify yourself?
9. Use courtesies such as “Please hold while I complete another call.”
10. Offer to take messages when you’re answering for someone?
11. Repeat the caller’s name and number to make sure they’re correct?
12. Speak in a professional manner?
13. Does your answering machine have a pleasant, professional and courteous message? Leave a good impression?

Scoring: One point for each yes. The higher your score, the more positive telephone skills you possess. A score of 9 or less suggests you should enhance your skills.

Review telephone basics

1. Knowledge: Before you make a call have the required information.
2. Goals: Know what you want to accomplish.
3. Attitude: Make the person feel you’re interested in him and the message.

– Make a great first impression. Show the caller you’re helpful, confident and competent. If a potential employer’s first contact is over the phone, she gets cues from your voice. What kind of impression are you giving?

Influence your listener’s reactions by controlling the pace, pitch, inflection and tone of your voice.  Strive for an energy level that matches your normal conversation. A soft voice suggests shyness or uncertainty; a loud voice implies anger or worry. Be alert to your caller’s needs. If he’s having trouble hearing, speak louder, more slowly.

Speak briskly but pronounce words clearly. When you talk too fast, you sound hurried or excited and are difficult to understand; when you too speak slowly, you sound tired, lazy or uninterested.

Inflection adds special meaning to your message. If, for example, you say, “John needs help with his resume this afternoon,” you’re suggesting John needs help. If you say, “John needs help with his resume — this afternoon, —  your indicating he needs help this afternoon.

Different tones of voice can make us feel differently — happy, angry, hurt, etc. Keep your tone attentive, interested and friendly. Smiling adds a pleasant tone to your voice.

– Be courteous, respectful. People are tud off by careless or rude remarks. Always say hello and identify yourself. Ask how you can help. Use courtesy words, “Thank you for waiting.”  If you need to put the caller on hold, ask, and wait for an answer. If you need to phone back, indicate when you’ll call.

End the call positively, for example, “Thanks for calling.”  Let the caller hang up first. This gives him control of the ending as well as an opportunity to ask further questions. Don’t eat, drink, or chew gum.

– Leave clear, concise messages. State your name and phone number. Repeat these twice. Give the name of the person you’re calling and date and time you called. If the person doesn’t return your call, phone again a few days later. For other message skills, review the telephone savvy questions.

If an employer calls, and you’re not prepared for the session, ask the employer if you can return the call, or if he can call back at a mutually convenient time. This gives you time to prepare.

Keep the forgoing in mind when you call or receive phone calls. Your confidence and career advancement will improve as you hone your phone skills.

Additional tips for strengthening telephone and other job skills are discussed in award winning, Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life: http://www.amazon.com/Questers-Dare-Change-Your-Life/dp/1508408963

Visit Carole Kanchier’s blog for more tips to enhance personal and professional growth. www.questersdaretodhange.com/blog

Author bio: Carole Kanchier, PhD, is an internationally recognized newspaper/digital columnist, registered psychologist, coach, speaker, and author of groundbreaking, Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life.  Carole Kanchier has taught at University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz and University of Alberta, and served as visiting fellow at many institutions of higher learning. Dr. Kanchier is known for her pioneering, interdisciplinary approach to human poten