10 Tips to Job Hunt Successfully During the Holidays - CareerEnlightenment.com

5. Get a professional photo for your LinkedIn profile. Many of us go to professional photographers just before the holidays for a group family picture. While you’re there, why not have the photographer take several headshots of just you for your LinkedIn and other online profiles? An online profile with no photo is a missed opportunity to reinforce your personal brand and engage people, since people connect with content better when it’s accompanied by the author’s photo. â€" Meg Guiseppi, Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert6. Reconnect with old friends on Facebook. You know that most jobs come from networking. And I’ll bet you have a bunch of old acquaintances from high school or college you haven’t thought about in years. There may be a chance one of them is doing something at a company that could benefit you. Why not find some old pals on Facebook and start a dialogue? Ask honest questions about where they are in life. Tell them honestly where you are in your life. Donâ €™t beg for help. Connect and provide value. Then, when trust is built, they might feel comfortable making a referral for you. â€" Joshua Waldman, Job-Hunt’s Social Media Job Search Expert7. Calendar your career-related holiday activities. To create the most effective results this holiday season, search for professional meetings and social events where you’ll have the opportunity to talk with people. Before you go to the event, think about your career-related goal for it. You might decide to reach out to people to see if anyone has contacts at a company you are targeting. Or you might ask if people know someone in your target industry. Be clear about the questions you want to focus on at each event. â€" Carol McClelland Job-Hunt’s Green Jobs Job Search Expert8. Connect with new recruiters during the holidays. If you don’t have relationships with any recruiters, network to one through your contacts. This is a good time of year to ask your friends to introduce you to their fa vorite recruiter (who works in your industry). If they have a good relationship, they can mention they have a colleague who’d be someone good for them to know. â€" Jeff Lipschultz, Job-Hunt’s Working With Recruiters Expert9. Turn your holiday card into a marketing tool. Include your business card in holiday cards you send to well-connected friends, with a line asking for their help in your job search. Don’t omit sending cards to anyone you’ve interviewed with; they may still have job openings and your holiday card with its business card enclosed may get you another chance at the job. â€" Dr. Jan Cannon, Job-Hunt’s Mid-Life Career Expert10. Volunteer to create access to employers. The hiring managers you want to meet go to holiday charity events and other public holiday events. The best way for you to meet them without a large financial investment is to volunteer at one. If you believe volunteering at a holiday charity event is not worth your time, look at the list of corpo rate sponsors of the previous year’s event. You may reconsider your stance. â€" Stephen Hinton, Job-Hunt’s Green Industry Jobs ExpertThis article first appeared on Next Avenue on December 3, 2015.