5 Summer Job Search Tips To Land Interviews in June, July, and August
If you haven’t landed a new job this year yet, don’t give up hope. While the beginning of the year tends to be the peak hiring season as new roles become available because of fresh company goals, the summertime is still a great time to hunt for a new opportunity.
Most people believe that the summertime is the worst time to look for a job, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Plenty of open positions, and positions that are set to open soon, are available during the summer months.
June, July, and August are still great months to land a new job as long as you:
Have a solid job search strategy.
Are equipped with a targeted, updated resume that communicates your value.
Know how to identify, utilize, and leverage resources and connections.
With the right tools, any time is always the right time to find a new job.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR SUMMER JOB SEARCH
Before you start applying to jobs on Indeed, LinkedIn, and other sites while you sit by the pool, there are some things you should know about job searching in the summer. Just like the Fall and Winter seasons, a summer job search has its pros and cons, too.
Here are three things that will impact how quickly you land an interview, how much competition you can expect, and if recruiter response times will be the same.
People are OOO
Family trips to Disney World, reunions, retreats and getaways tend to be on people’s calendars during this time of year, especially with the world slowly reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, summer has always been the peak season for millions of people to get out and explore the world.
Because of this, don’t be surprised if interviews get rescheduled, pushed back, and or scheduled further out due to hiring leaders being out of the office.
Less competition because ppl are on vacation
Recruiters, hiring managers, and team members won’t be the only people booking flights, though. In a survey, 53% of people admitted to having a trip planned for this summer. This means that there will potentially be less competition when you’re applying.
But it’s important to note that this isn’t guaranteed. As the job market slowly begins to bounce back from the pandemic, there may be more competitive than usual.
Many companies hire early
In order to get hiring out of the way, some companies will hire for roles early in the summer. This means that some opportunities may be already filled by May or early June. Here’s why this happens:
The company hired someone earlier in the year who didn’t work out.
The company interviewed several people for the open position but didn’t find someone who was a good match, so they temporarily closed the position then reopened it.
The company needs a contract or temporary role filled for a special summer project and needs the person to start before the project begins.
SUMMER HIRING FACTS
So what are your chances of landing a new job in the summer? It depends on factors such as your industry, field, and the types of jobs you plan on submitting your resume for. Read below for a few hiring facts to keep in mind.
Hiring volume depends on the industry
There are some industries that experience either an influx of customers, operations, or projects during the summer which in turn creates a need for them to bring on new team members.
This includes construction, hotels, airlines, customer service, truck drivers, daycare/early childhood education, and others. Companies may also hire new people for mid to end-of-year business goals.
The summertime is great to land part-time, seasonal, gig, and temp jobs
Part-time, temporary, contract, seasonal, and gig jobs are plentiful during the summer months as companies, businesses, and even entrepreneurs are looking to bring people on for a brief period of time to fulfill a business need.
In the past, the summertime used to be the best time for high schoolers and college students to land quick summer jobs at nearby park districts and restaurants, but new start-ups, tech companies, and gig-work platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr have had opportunities available to any and everyone has sought after and in-demand skills and who is looking for short-term employment.
More jobs may be available because of COVID
Now that the economy and job market are slowly but surely coming back to life following COVID-19, more jobs may be available now than in summer’s past. Most industries are on the upswing including hospitality and retail. There were also new roles and industries that were added and created during this time.
SUMMER JOB SEARCH TIPS
To kick your job search off on the right foot this summer, here are 5 things you should do to prepare for open positions waiting for you to discover and apply to.
1. Reach out to your network
Did you know that 80% of jobs are filled through networking alone? This means that 80% of job openings already have someone in mind, being considered, or that they are set on before you even have your first interview.
Having a diverse network of current and past colleagues, industry friends, mentors, and more can be the key to helping you discover and land hidden opportunities that no one knows about.
Before you begin officially applying, send an email, text, or message to people in your network to see if they know of any roles that you may be a good fit for.
2. Use LinkedIn to connect with current employees for upcoming or current openings
In a previous blog article, we talked about 5 reasons you need a LinkedIn profile, which included the fact that 20 million jobs are posted on LinkedIn that may not be posted anywhere else.
If you already have a LinkedIn profile, use it to get a head start on your summer job search by viewing and sorting through company pages and connecting with current employees.
You can also use LinkedIn to find out salary and pay information, hiring trends, recent news, and competition stats. Before you apply for a job via your LinkedIn profile or request to add someone to your network, make sure your profile is at All-Star status.
3. Schedule informational interviews and make new connections
Setting up informational interviews is a great way to start building a relationship with a new professional connection, while learning secret info and tips on a company or industry you’re interested in.
If you’ve never heard of an informational interview, it’s basically when you meet with someone who works for a company you want to work for or works in an industry you’re in or trying to get into. There are many things you learn including:
How they got to where they are
Their career journey
Interview tips and hacks to stand out
What hiring managers and recruiters are looking for on your resume and in interview responses
You can use LinkedIn and industry associations and memberships to find people you’d like to schedule an informational interview with.
4. Take the time to get a professional website developed
Professionally branded websites are the new business card. Hire a web developer to put together a polished site that shows off your expertise, gives examples of your work, includes statements and testimonials, some fun personal information, and talks about why you love what you do.
You can include a link to your website on your resume after listing your phone number and email address. For an added bonus, record a video and embed it on your site.
5. Sign up for LinkedIn for increased visibility
Don’t have a LinkedIn profile?
Why not????
If you haven’t created a LinkedIn account just yet, you’re missing out. In 2020 alone, over 200,000 new profiles were created and LinkedIn was considered among the top job search sites for professionals. Online job boards shouldn’t be the only place you search for and apply to jobs.
LinkedIn’s advantage is that it allows you to see insightful data and information that you won’t have access to unless you have a profile. This includes the recruiters’ name and contact information, employee information, salary ranges, and more.
If you need a LinkedIn profile, click here.
BUT BEFORE YOU GET STARTED WITH YOUR SUMMER JOB SEARCH….
After reading all of that, you’re probably pumped to start applying ASAP. But before you do, we have one last question: is your resume up to date?
Whether you’re sending your resume to your network, uploading it to LinkedIn, or to a recruiter or company employee, you need to make sure your resume is on point.
Make sure that it communicates your value, is targeted specifically for the opportunities you’re going for, and that it contains all recent and current information.
If you haven’t updated your resume in a while, read this blog post.
Good luck with your summer job search!