Right now…today…what does your 60-day job search plan look like? Have you chosen to spend the next two months languishing in tranquility by the shoreline? Think again!
Did you know that summer is the best time of year to find a job? That’s because it’s estimated that up to 70% of your competition is about to suspend their job hunt activities to enjoy the lazy days of summer.
Here are five ways to maximize this opportunity and boost your summer job search:
- Update your LinkedIn profile. Ensure your contact information is current and visible to everyone and your profile includes accomplishments, not duties and responsibilities. Make 5-10 compelling taglines for your LinkedIn headline and change them daily.
- Up your networking. Summer hours don’t apply to your job hunt. Your ideal job search schedule should consist of 12 hours of job hunting, five days a week. Sound impossible? It’s not when you spend five hours online networking and schedule three or four in-person meetings every day. There are so many outdoor events during the summer, get out there armed with your networking business card and meet people!
- Follow companies on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Mobile devices make this an easy task to do even while you are relaxing in a hammock. Companies don’t stop promoting their brand, making business announcements, or hiring staff simply because it’s the summer. Operations must go on and gaps in resources must be filled. Be one of the first to know what is going on at your target employers by following them on social media.
- Be accessible at all times. Even if you do take time with your family to disconnect and unwind at the cottage with no cell phone signal, forward calls to your landline so you never miss out on an opportunity. While it may be cute for friends and family to hear an outgoing message recorded by your child, when on a job search your landline must contain a professional voicemail message.
- Portray a professional image. First impressions count. While some employers may relax their dress code for the season, you shouldn’t. Maintaining professional attire, even when it’s hot and humid, is a must for any serious job seeker.
It’s July 1. All we can do is hope for hot summer temperatures but I can assure you the summer job market will be hot – rain or shine. So get off your butt and take advantage of the best time of year to find a job!
How do you over come a situation where you’ve made a mistake and you’ve only been in job just over 2 months? What do you tell recruiters? hiring managers? if it comes up.
Great open ended question, however it is critical that you remain open and honest in communication with people who can influence and advance your career. We all make mistakes and realize some months after that we should have taken another route. In your dialogue with a recruiter or hiring manager, be up front and accept full accountability. Try and turn the negative into a positive and relay what lesson you learned. I have found that Canada is very forgiving as far as an error in judgement is concerned regarding your career, however you only have one chance.