Holiday Job Searching -- Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Thinking about taking a break from your job search? Think again. December is not all about vacations and holiday shopping. The truth is, plenty of businesses don't stop their hiring processes to spread holiday cheer-- and many businesses are doing peak sales and need the extra staff. If you're job hunting, this is a most wonderful time of the year.

Short-term Retail Positions

There are plenty of short-term retail positions created during the holidays. This is not just working a booth at the mall. Plenty of retailers are adding cashiers to handle the increase in customers, and adding floor managers to deal with the new stock. Deliver drivers are needed. Any of these positions could lead to more work, and all add experience to your resume.

Competition for Positions

Because so many job seekers stop their search during December, this means less competition for you. At this time of year, recruiters see a fraction of the resumes and applications they usually get, and many of those candidates are hard to get a hold of. Step up your job search. Answer your phone. You just might be the best candidate for the job.

Winter Seasonal Work

Many positions for winter seasonal work are hiring now. Recruiters would like to have these positions filled and ready to start for January. If you're a summer seasonal worker, now is a great time to look for winter work for year-long income.

Be Positive

Holiday stress can cause many job seekers to become frustrated, depressed and give up their job searching. Stay positive. Recruiters are just as stressed about the holidays. A positive attitude will make a great impression. It might just get you the job.

Give and Ye Shall Receive

At this time of year, there are plenty of volunteer organizations looking for extra hands. Volunteering your time puts you in a great networking position, while also adding skills and experience to your resume.

Keep up a positive attitude and work hard to job search this holiday season. Even a short-term position can work into something more come January when vacation season starts.

[A word of warning: Do be mindful of job scams. Grinches don't slow down for the holidays.]

We can help! Come on over to our office. We don't slow down for the holidays, either. See our holiday hours. If you're job searching, our experienced employment counsellors can help. You don't have to job search alone.

More articles on job searching during the holidays:

5 Reasons to Continue Your Job Search over the Holidays

Holiday Job Searching

How to Job Search over the Holidays

Job Hunting During the Holidays

Student & Youth Services: How VCCS Can Get You Hired

Whether you're in school or not, if you're under 21, VCCS Employment Services has many services and great people who can get you hired.

Have a job in mind? We can help. Our employment counsellors are trained experts with the knowledge and years of experience that can take your resume and cover letter from good to great. They can help you prepare for the toughest interview questions. Come in and see our employment counsellors before you fill out that application or send that resume.

Trying to find work? We can help. If you don't already have a job in mind, and are having trouble finding job vacancies for youth/students, come in and view our job board. Our resource room counsellors and job developers have their fingers on the pulse of the local employment sector. If there's work out there, we know about it. Many jobs are not advertised in the paper. We can help you access the hidden job market. You don't have to take the first job you find. We can work with you to find the opportunity that's right for you. Stop by our resource room today.

Not sure what you're looking for? We can help with that, too. Our counsellors are available to discuss options with you. They also put on workshops to help you figure out where you're going in life and what careers are suited for you. Come in and make an appointment today.

WHY VOLUNTEER???

Boost your career options

A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses

• 73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without
• 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills
• 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted

Also, if you are thinking of a career change then volunteering is a perfect way to explore new fields. If you have a passion for the arts but have career in computing then why not volunteer at your local theatre? Or if your ambitions are to be a doctor why not find out about volunteer opportunities at your local hospital – the ideal way to expand your work portfolio in your field and to gain a real insight into your chosen path.

Taken from: World Volunteer Web

Volunteering and employment-related benefits

Generally, the same groups that are most likely to volunteer to improve their job prospects are also more likely to say that volunteering increased their skills and improved their job prospects. For example, volunteers aged 15 to 24 were more likely than older volunteers to report gaining increased communication skills (82%) and interpersonal skills (77%) from their volunteer activities. However, those aged 55 to 64 were more likely than other volunteers to report gaining knowledge from their volunteer activities. Unemployed volunteers were more likely than other volunteers to report gaining communication skills. Three quarters (75%) of unemployed volunteers reported gaining communication skills, compared to 68% of employed volunteers and 66% of volunteers who were not in the labour force. Similar, but less pronounced, patterns were seen with other skills. Just under half (49%) of employed volunteers aged 15 to 24 said their volunteer activities gave them new skills that they could apply directly to their job. Additionally, almost one quarter (24%) of volunteers aged 15 to 24 said that their volunteer activities had helped them in the past to obtain employment.

Perhaps the most compelling finding regarding the effectiveness of volunteer activity in helping people to obtain employment is that 28% of unemployed volunteers (and 16% of employed volunteers) said that their volunteering had helped them obtain a job in the past and 62% of unemployed volunteers believed that it would help them to find a job in the future.

The Benefits of Volunteering, from the 2000

National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating

(NSGVP), Canada

For Volunteer Positions in City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton and surrounding areas, visit: click here FourInfo.com