It’s only a day or two before the holiday break, and the festivities are building up momentum! It’s the time of year for everyone to do almost everything they’ve been planning to do, with so much free time on their hands.
We say almost everything, because it’s next to impossible to start a new phase of your career during the year-end holidays. Companies will be on break over a couple of long weekends this year, and unless you plan on spending your entire vacation visiting dozens of potential employers then you won’t be able to find any opportunities easily.
Since doing that will obviously be time-consuming and very stressful, we’ve come up with a few ways you can use minimal energy to maximize your chances of getting a job until early this coming 2017. Some of these things can be fun, too; you can do them with your family or friends. Read on for the first part of our guide to becoming a holiday career-seeker!
- Keep watch for sudden opportunities.
Because companies are on break, you won’t be seeing much immediate opportunities to apply. Also, most employees planning to change jobs avoid resigning during the “-ber” months since they will need finances during those months.
However, some employees planning to quit from their companies sometimes just wait until the very last minute to be able to claim their holiday bonuses and 13th month benefits, then file their resignation. This is very common for IT-based or BPO companies, but it can happen anywhere. It’s a very sad reality about professionals in the Philippines, and we hope it is gradually reduced until it is no longer a part of our culture and behavior.
But until then, you can take advantage of vacancies created by people who suddenly quit their jobs for whatever reason during the holiday season. Often, this comes by way of an employee tendering her or his resignation around November, which is when most 13th month bonuses are disbursed. After claiming that, they resign and render their 30 days notice in December and early January. Recruiters will usually post a vacancy around December in preparation for hiring a replacement for the outgoing employee. That’s your chance!
- Pamper yourself.
This means not only replenishing your energy through rest and lots of food, but also planning how to maximize the available things for you to do to take care of yourself.
First, when it comes to food you have to remember that you’re expected to be in the same shape as you were before the holidays, in order for your business clothes to fit well. They will look untidy if you don’t plan your eating carefully. Of course, it’s the holidays: there will be lots of food!
Our metabolism slows down at night, decreasing our ability to digest food efficiently. The undigested excess gets stored as fat, which causes the “holiday belly” that’s so hard to get rid of in the following months! Thankfully, you can follow a sort of schedule for your cravings: eat as much as you want for breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks, then eat healthy for dinner. You will gain some weight, but not as much as you would if you stuff yourself at night as well.
You should also get lots of sleep at the right time, so that your body clock will stay calibrated for working days that start at 8:00AM and end at 5:00PM. Finally, getting relaxation and grooming treatments like massages, haircuts, facials or special baths can help lower your stress levels even more and make you feel a whole lot better.
Keep in mind: these are all things that you can do at home as well as outside, and with family and friends. It’s more fun to do them while bonding with the special people in your life, so take them along for the ride and enjoy!
Next week, we’ll offer you a few more tips to keep you in the career-seeking game for the coming year. Stay tuned!