{"id":54983,"date":"2013-12-19T13:35:12","date_gmt":"2013-12-19T18:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=54983"},"modified":"2014-02-09T22:10:00","modified_gmt":"2014-02-10T03:10:00","slug":"network-at-the-holiday-party-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=54983","title":{"rendered":"Network at the Holiday Party Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Network at the Holiday Party Hop<\/h3>\n

\"ashleymancill\"<\/a>Andy Williams calls it the most wonderful time of the year, but just because it\u2019s the holiday season doesn\u2019t mean you should put off your job search until January. Although it may seem as if the only companies hiring during December are those in the retail and hospitality industries, some companies and organizations have already approved their budgets and are looking to hire additional employees before the New Year.<\/a> Others may be sticking to traditional hiring timelines and finalizing their budgets but are likely scheduling interviews for jobs now.<\/p>\n

So how can you land a new job this holiday season? In addition to researching companies and tailoring your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to positions that interest you<\/em>, be sure to attend a few holiday get-togethers. \u201cHoliday parties are great places to not only socialize, but also to network,\u201d writes<\/a> Robyn Melhuish of Business Insider. \u201cThe benefit of theses parties, besides free eggnog, is the ability to hob knob with people who might have insights into your job search.\u201d<\/p>\n

Go to family gatherings. <\/b>While answering questions about your job hunt or unemployment status may be the last thing you want to do, family and friends can provide some much needed support and improve your outlook. And you never know what sort of job lead may pop up over the dinner table. Maybe your cousin Davey\u2019s fianc\u00e9 knows of an opening at her database company and thinks you\u2019re a great fit, or your Aunt Cathy heard that there\u2019s a book vending company in town in need of a buyer. Your family knows your career goals, and they can be integral to helping you meet them.<\/p>\n

Ask a friend if you can be his or her plus one. <\/b>Even if you aren\u2019t particularly interested in working at the same company as your friends, meeting their coworkers and supervisors will allow you to expand your professional network. It\u2019s also possible that you\u2019ll meet another partygoer with connections outside the company or one who knows of other job opportunities that are in line with what you are looking for. \u201cThe bottom line is that the best job leads come from other professionals,\u201d says career coach Catherine Jewell<\/a><\/span>. \u201cThey are your entry point to the secret job market, which is only available through contact with people.\u201d If you are interested in working for a friend\u2019s company, be aware that some employers use holiday gatherings to recruit<\/a> new employees. Chat with managers and supervisors to learn what is new in the industry and leave them a business card or get one of theirs if possible. If a job opening becomes available, you\u2019ll have already established a connection, and you could become one of the leading candidates for the position.<\/p>\n

Throw your own party. <\/b>If you don\u2019t feel comfortable attending someone else\u2019s work party, throw your own holiday bash. Invite friends and family members and encourage them to bring other friends or coworkers. Take time to speak to everyone and thank them for coming. If someone mentions a job opening, ask for his or her contact information and if you can follow up later. Invite new connections out for coffee or a drink<\/a> after the holidays so that you can stay in touch. It may not lead directly to a job but will help you establish new relationships that can be beneficial in the future.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget that holiday get-togethers are social events, so talk about something other than business. And don\u2019t drink too much eggnog\u2014you want to make a good impression!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor, INALJ Alabama Network at the Holiday Party Hop Andy Williams calls it the most wonderful time of the year, but just because it\u2019s the holiday season doesn\u2019t mean you should put off your job search until January. Although it may seem as if the only companies hiring during December are…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,5363,3592,3624],"class_list":["post-54983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-ashley-mancill","tag-blog","tag-inalj-alabama"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/ashleym.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-eiP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}