Last Updated: June 30th, 2016
Would you work on Christmas Day if it secured you a new job? According to a recent survey by reed.co.uk, 77% of us would.
Traditionally, Christmas was a time of respite from the demands of career. Today, time spent resting is time wasted. The pressure not to fall behind the competition is high. With the demand to deliver all year round ever increasing, more than half of workplaces plan to stay open over the Christmas period, according to a recent survey by reed.co.uk.
As a jobseeker, if you want to secure your dream job it’s vital you remain proactive – even at Christmas. Although approximately half of us believe that companies and recruiters are less receptive to job applications over Christmas, Katie Edwards of media recruitment agency PFJ, reveals that while “jobseekers are holding off looking for work until the new year, employers are using up the rest of their headcount for the year, so there are far more jobs than candidates before Christmas”.
The opportunity is too good to miss for the proactive jobseeker, but sifting through hundreds of job openings unrelated to your skills or career objectives is not how most of us hope to spend Christmas.
Target by location on job sites
The quicker you locate job opportunities, the quicker you get back to Christmas dinner. When using job search engines, narrow down the results delivered by specifying the area where you’re looking for work. By reducing the number of openings irrelevant to your search, you increase your chances of finding the perfect match.
Check out your potential employers online
Employers supply a wealth of information on their website that can help you determine whether they’re the right fit for you and can give you the upper hand against other candidates if called for an interview. However, winning candidates go a step further. Use search engines to locate recent content published by or featuring your target company. Read their latest press releases, download their ebooks and watch their videos on YouTube. All information gathered is extra ammo to help you ace an interview.
Connect with potential employers on social media
Social media is great research tool that can give you valuable insight into your potential employer. It is advisable to incorporate social media into your job search- Social networking helps you find your desirable job. Joining groups in LinkedIn and Facebook can be useful and many recruiters are posting their requirements on Twitter. By following companies on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ you can receive alerts about new job opportunities and stay up-to-date with important events that could strengthen your future application.