Slow week?

The days after Christmas can often be slow days in the office especially if people have taken the rest of the year off and aren’t getting back until the new year.

If you’re a job searcher or are thinking of looking for a new job, today, tomorrow and the day after can be great days to touch base with hiring managers and short of that with staff who work in companies you’re interested to work for since chances are many of them are working short hours and in many cases are working casually until January 2 hits.

People are on vacation mode even if they’re not on vacation.

It’s a good time to speak with people who work in companies that interest you because chances are many don’t have a lot to do right now and given the happy time of year we’re in, are possibly more likely to speak with you and tell you about their job and the company, information you can use to figure out if you’d really like to work there.

You might be surprised how open people can be when you simply call them up and ask them questions and ask for their advice. In general terms, people like to talk about themselves and when asked politely, most people will at least try to lift a finger and help you out.

I’ve called into companies and spoken to people who wouldn’t know who I was if they ran me over in their car. I’ve told them about a job I had available, and asked them who they knew who might be interested in the job. I’ve left voice messages like this and had people call me back to refer me to someone. People do like to help when asked politely.

Again, this is a good time of year, people in many companies are working short hours, getting ready for New Year’s so it’s a good time to get their attention.

Plus, once January 1 hits and everyone is pretending to fulfill their new year’s resolutions, that’s when everyone else who has decided to look for a new job will start bombarding these same hiring managers with phone calls and emails. Beat them to the punch.

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