Heat Up Your Summer Job Search with These 5 Tips

For job seekers, the summer months present a great opportunity for their job search.

There’s a common misconception held by job seekers that employers don’t hire during the summer. Although it seems like employers slow down their hiring process, it’s important to realize most employers don’t take a vacation from hiring.

Research shows hiring picks up by the end of August after a slowdown in July. Despite this slowdown, employers still take the time to recruit new hires. This gives summer job seekers an advantage because you can spend time networking your way into new job opportunities.

Many employers also spend the summer months preparing for their upcoming year, which means they’ll be scoping out talent during the summer. To take advantage of this opportunity, job seekers need to be on top of their job search game.

Instead of taking a vacation from your job search this summer, here are five ways to heat it up:

1. Nurture your personal brand.

Your personal brand is one of the most valuable assets for your job search. If you want to get noticed by employers, your brand should be strong online as well as offline.

This summer, focus on building your LinkedIn page, creating an online portfolio, and finding ways to position yourself as an expert in your field. Employers want to hire candidates who are confident and knowledgeable in their industry, so take some time to build a positive reputation.

2. Take advantage of unlikely networking opportunities.

The summer months are a great time to build your network because there are endless ways for you to meet new people.

With July and August being peak months for the beach, family barbecues, and hanging out by the pool, there are many opportunities for you to build your network. As you go about your normal summer routine, have networking on the forefront of your mind. This will help you be aware of building new relationships that could lead to job interviews.

3. Tap into hidden job opportunities.

Research shows between 70 to 80 percent of job postings aren’t posted online.

As you spend your summer building your personal brand and searching for networking opportunities, be on the look out for unlikely places to land a job.

You can tap into hidden job opportunities by sending networking emails to employers, asking your friends and families for job leads, joining professional organizations, or scouring social media for job posts. Word of mouth plays also plays a huge role in finding unadvertised jobs, so make sure you’re asking around and making your job search known.

4. Create mobile alerts.

Keep yourself in the loop — your mobile phone is an excellent resource for finding jobs and learning about new opportunities.

Job search websites such as Indeed, Monster, and CareerBuilder all have mobile apps you can download for your device. Once you download a mobile app, be sure to set up notifications for job postings in your area.

5. Build a following on social media.

When you build a social media following on Twitter or LinkedIn, you increase your chances of meeting new people who can help you with your job search and new career opportunities.

If you want to get noticed by recruiters and employers online, share relevant content and interact with your online community. This shows employers you’re taking initiative to be knowledgeable and influential in your field.

The summer months are a great time for job seekers to heat up their job search through networking, personal branding, and searching for opportunities. By following some of these tips, hopefully you’ll be able to land a job before summer ends!

What tips do you have for job seekers trying to heat up their job search?

Image Courtesy of  Vincenzo Giordano; Flickr