How to job hunt this holiday seasonÂ

How to job hunt this holiday seasonThe holiday season is typically a time to gather with friends and family, reflect on the year that has passed, and think ahead to the new year but for many folks its also a time to job hunt. The truth is, many companies dont take the holidays off when seeking to fill open positions, and it could mean plenty of opportunities for you. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) A recent article in Forbesanswered the question Are the holidays a good time to job search? with a resounding yes Many professionals (and job seekers) are preoccupied with all they have to do during the holidaysfamily gatherings, travel, winter break from school, big dinners, and shopping. Seemingly for many, job searching takes a back seat during this time. However, these types of distractions are actually even beneficial, because there is less competition for job seekers. The holidays arent always a slow period. On the contrary, theres a sig nificant rise in jobs and job opportunities.The article goes on to speculate why the holidays might just be the ideal time to lock down your next big job opportunity There are key industries that have expansive hiring during the holiday season, particularly retail, operations, and even financial services. Companies are heavily entrenched in finalizing their business and budget goals for the New Year, which often include increasing the job force, closing out final deals, and negotiating acquisitions of new projects to jump start the fiscal year. Heres another insider secret theres an influx of professionals who give notice during the holidays in order to take those well-planned and sought after dream vacations, and companies want to be fully staffed on January 1.So, if youre on the lookout for your next big career move and want to make the most of your holiday job hunt, lets take a look at some strategies you can utilize to take full advantage of the opportunities that are out thereP repare in advance.Keep in mind that the holiday window isnt endlessit typically starts around Thanksgiving and ends around New Years Day, which means that you have approximately 6 weeks to take full advantage of the holiday job hunt. That said, you dont want to eat up a great deal of time with things you can prepare in advance. Make aya you have a list of target positions and industries and that your basic resume and cover letter (documents you should of course tweak as needed for various openings) are current and in good shape before the holidays begin, so you can use these 6 weeks to maximize your job huntitll help put you a step ahead of the competitionTake advantage of seasonal employment opportunities.Many companies and industries get especially busy during the holidays and routinely hire additional seasonal staff to help them meet with higher than normal work volume. A few examples include the retail, travel and tourism, food and hospitality, and package delivery industries, a mong others. Although these are typically jobs with finite and predetermined lifespans, they do represent good ways to make some additional money during the holidays. And who knowsif you do a particularly good job you may impress someone enough to extend your position indefinitely. If seasonal employment is something that interests you, make aya to filter for this type of employment in your job searches.Be patient.Patience is always a virtue when it comes to job hunting, but its especially true during the holidays. Although your job hunt might be taking place during the holiday season, dont be surprised if it lasts until well after theyre over. The truth is, although the holidays can be a great time to discover and apply to new job openings while facing less competition because lots of other job seekers are busy and preoccupied with holiday plans, so are the people who posted the ads. Its not uncommon for productivity at all levels in the workplace to slow down to a crawl during the holidays, and this includes HR departments. Therefore, dont be surprised if you wind up sending out a hr of resumes but dont receive a ton of responses quickly.Have a thick skin.Resilience is a key trait if youre determined to job hunt during the holiday season and dont want the process to eat away at your holiday spirit. Were all aware of the mental toll that a job hunt often takes. Very few of us get to experience the luxury of a quick hire after a brief job hunt. Its much more likely that youll take a few trips on the emotional rollercoaster of hope and rejection as you apply for jobs and await replies. But this doesnt mean that your job hunt has to cast a shadow over your holiday celebration plans. Remember, job hunts take time and rejection is a natural part of the process that we all experienceits certainly in your best interest to keep this in mind and develop a thick skin while looking for a new job, unless you want your job hunt to be the Grinch that spoils your holiday pl ans.Be flexible.Flexibility is especially important during the holidays. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, meeting at unexpected hours for a call or face-to-face interview on the fly or being willing to endure a little holiday office chaos at the places youre interviewing might just be a part of your search during the busy holiday season. If you take it in stride and show potential employers that youre not rattled by unexpected curveballs, itll only work to your advantage during the process.There you have itconsider this your holiday job hunting strategy guide for making the most of the opportunities available during this busy time of the year. Take advantage of the advice presented here and you can hopefully ring in the New Year with a new job. Good luck

The 3 Skills Every Consultant Needs, According to 1 Accenture Manager

The 3 Skills Every Consultant Needs, According to 1 Accenture Manager Dana Montgomery, a manager at Accenture in their Technology Consulting practice, prides zu sichself on her agility and her ability to stay calm amongst the chaos. Both qualities have assisted her in the shifts shes experienced in her career first away from Accenture, then back to the firm in a new practice, then to a new practice yet again. And she has some solid advice for career shifters, no matter their strengths.We asked Montgomery about her best advice for women at every stage of their career. Then, she shared what makes Accenture such a great place to grow within yur practice or in a new way. One big hint the people make all the difference.Tell us about your job. How long have you been in your current role, and what were you doing previously?I have been with Accenture just over 9 years in total. I tend to call myself the boomerang kid. I started with Accenture as a college hire in our DC office in the Syste m Integration and Technology Consulting practice, then left the firm and came back as an experienced hire within our Procurement Business Processing Operations (BPO) practice. I really missed the people and culture at Accenture, scouts honor. Since, Ive shifted back to our Technology Consulting practice, where I am a manager. Im a servant leader also known as a Scrum Master for a large energy utility company.I support my kollektiv by coaching them on agile principles and removing impediments from their path. We are 1 of over 20 different dependent partners working collaboratively to transform the customer experience for our clients. My role is 100 percent client facing and very rarely do I work in our Accenture office on a day-to-day basis.I stay connected with my office and community through my involvement in our Employee Resource Groups. It has been a fulfilling opportunity to serve at all levels of our ERGs from the day I started with the firm. I have the pleasure to serve on t he Core Leadership teams for the National African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) and the Military Spouse Employee Resource Group. My latest initiative welches a donation drive hosted by the AAERG for Accenture Military Spouses with a deployed spouse. My alignment with other employees who have something in common with me outside of work is how I stay engaged, motivated and an active part of the Accenture family. Why did you decide to come back to Accenture?I worked for about three years at a boutique consulting firm focused on business process outsourcing. The money was good and the work was challenging, but I was unhappy. I was bedrngnis a big fan of the culture. I realized I missed the diversity of people and thought that I experienced at Accenture.Five years out of college and three states later, I was ready to move closer to home. Seems like it was fate that Accenture was in the market for a Procurement Consultant who could live anywhere on the east coast (with an Accen ture office and major airport). I went to Charlotte and back to AccentureWhats the first thing you do at work every day? What about the last?In the morning, I typically scan my email for any pressing leides that may have come in from my teammates located in other countries. Working with a global team requires flexibility and to be conscious of the dependencies on you across your team. The last thing I do before leaving for the day is to check traffic conditions as I must pick up my daughter, Diona, from school by six every day. I have a hard stop on afternoon meetings to allow enough time to pick her upWhats the no. 1 thing Accenture does to make you feel well supported?For me, Accenture equals the people. The best people, to be exact Whether it is my support team or my leaders, they show up for me every day. If Im stuck in traffic and my toddler had a morning meltdown and I am not in front of my computer to lead the daily stand-up, my analyst, my senior manager or my managing direc tor will share their screen or kick off the call. If I am having a bad day or feeling uncomfortable about a situation, I have a career counselor and other leaders within the firm I can homilie and ask for 15 minutes. I have yet to have any one person tell me they did not have time.For women who are considering careers in consulting or for those who are looking to shift to a new consulting role what is your no. 1 piece of advice?This question hits home for me, because my return to Technology in 2017 involved transferring back into Accentures consulting workforce which can be more demanding than roles within our Business Processing Operations practice.My biggest piece of advice is that it takes a village and you must ask for what you need from your village your supervisor, your team, your client, your mentors, your sponsors, your family and your friends. Be empowered from day one to state your needs and establish your boundaries.Whats your favorite aspect of Accentures culture and y our favorite company perk?As busy as my schedule tends to get with client obligations, I love that career counseling is built into our day-to-day model. I have an advocate who represents me and coaches me on my goals and performance priorities. And I get the opportunity to feed into and develop the next generation of leaders while they teach me new things and expand my perspective.My favorite company perk is the four months of paid maternity leave and the one year grace period of no travel after returning from leave. The bonding time I enjoyed with Diona was invaluable and Im grateful that I was able to spend uninterrupted time with her.Whats something youre especially good at at work?Executing with agility. I am the calm in the middle of chaos We are often challenged to solve problems that are ambiguous in nature and direction is not clear. Im especially good at navigating murky scenarios, quickly assessing the situation and devising a path forward.What about outside of work?I love to event plan and craft I have directed and decorated over 50 weddings and even directed a team members wedding last year. It goes back to being able to operate under pressure managing pushy family members, sticky relationships, weather and personalities on one of the most memorable days of a couples life is not for the faint of the heart.Whats the most memorable piece of career advice youve received?Two years ago, during a 2-on-1 Coffee Break with Jeffrey Russell, President of Accenture Canada, and an intern, Jeffrey shared this bit of advice that I find helps me stay centered.He called it the 3 Cs Creativity, Confidence, and Capabilities. They are essential skill sets. Be creative, be confident in your delivery and be capable.Other great career advice remember the world is your oyster. Be open minded, because the possibilities are endless. And take a risk every day.--Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Accenture. Find a job there today