Welcome to the beginning of the dog days of summer. In the world of residential staffing, July and August can be slower months, which means it’s a great time for candidates to begin getting ready for September. Typically, September starts a new active time period and you need to prepare yourself to take advantage of this renewed activity by planting seeds and preparing accordingly.
First, you should start with your résumé. You need to make sure that it’s up-to-date, your job description is clear and your references are ready. It’s also not a bad idea to consider having more than one résumé prepared for the different opportunities that you come across.
The next thing you should do is review your current online profile. How does it look on LinkedIn, Facebook, or on any other digital platform you’re registered with? Does it need to be tweaked? If you’re working with an agency, you should ask for their opinion on how your profile looks and they’ll be happy to help during this slower time.
Then you need to take a step back and look ahead to September. What is your strategy going into this busy month? Which agencies will you work with? Who will you network with prior and how do you plan to move forward? It’s important to develop a strategy and get yourself organized while times are not as busy.
Lastly, you should take this time to reconnect with those people who are looking for work for you and subtly let them know that you are going to be in the market and available to work. That being said, you should also consider setting up a “tickle” plan in your calendar to call your contacts every two weeks and remind them that you are actively looking for work.
So be sure to plan ahead. Get ready for the upcoming Fall season today, and you’ll set yourself up nicely to reap the benefits later.
Check out the current job openings on our website and keep checking for updates over the coming months: http://bit.ly/1yt3bS9