Many job searchers are convinced that job searching between December and the middle of January is a waste of time.
If you buy into this myth about holiday job hunting, you could miss an excellent career opportunity.
During the holiday season, job seekers enjoy reduced competition because most other job seekers take this time off. However, there are still plenty of great teaching opportunities available as schools try to fill any open positions before school restarts in January. The bottom line is you don’t want to miss out on any great opportunities to gain a teaching position because you decided to stop your job search over the holidays.
Holiday Job Searching Tips
If you’re ready to drop the seasonal holiday job-searching blues, here are several tips that will help you succeed in your job hunt this holiday season.
Use holiday events to network with family, friends, and acquaintances. You never know who will produce your next job lead. Attend as many events as you can reasonably fit into your calendar without being obnoxious about your job search and aggravating your friends and relatives.
Prepare a brief statement to tell people you are seeking a teaching job and the kind of one you seek. With the proliferation of events during the holidays, you have lots of networking opportunities – and one of them may produce a teaching job.
Send holiday cards with your business card enclosed to school principals with whom you’ve recently interviewed. Send a card to any school you’ve recently had an informational interview with or applied to. Send one to well-connected friends about your job search that you’ve recently spoken about.
Schedule time for job search activities exactly as you would schedule a day at work if you are unemployed. Whether you are employed or unemployed, create a job-search schedule with at least one new item to accomplish daily. Don’t get lazy or depressed; keep your spirits up by taking positive action throughout the holiday season.
Check education job boards and district websites in your target teaching areas from late November through January. These schools are still conducting their searches unless a “perfect” candidate exists. Many seek teachers who are ready to take over classrooms starting in January.
Continue to check these online job boards daily. If you have selected schools you’d like to work in, remember to check district and school websites. Job postings online never stop; some schools may have last-minute positions they need to fill.
Check professional association websites for advertised positions. Participate in the forum if the site hosts questions or conversations to get your name out there.
Network online at professional sites such as LinkedIn or others in forums and groups specific to teaching. Even more personal sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer networking and job posting opportunities for job searchers and establish a presence. Potentially, the activity may escalate during the holidays and propel your job search.
If you need to, take seasonal work during the holidays to help your finances going into the New Year. You can look into working at a seasonal daycare facility or a holiday day camp to get extra teaching-related work on your resume and keep your skills sharp while gaining a little extra money.
Use the job search tips you’ve gathered throughout your job hunt and work doubly hard to accomplish them during the holiday season. You won’t be sorry!
