How to Find a Design Job During Holiday Season
Design Jobs

As we move into December and businesses begin to wind up operations for the year, the task of finding new employees may not be at the top of priority lists. As a result, the holiday season can be an incredibly difficult time to find a new design job, or any job for that matter. However, there are still some great opportunities out there, even during this often slow period of hiring.

While there may be less jobs being posted online and it may take a lot longer to get a response from a hirer, there’s no need to give up your job hunt over the Christmas / New Year break. You may need to adjust your strategy though.

if you are searching for a design job over the holidays, here are some tips that may help you secure that new job in time for a new year start!

Sharpen your resume

Employers and their HR departments have a lot going on this time of year and finding time to trawl through dozens of long-winded resumes can be tricky. Make their jobs easier by taking the time to ensure that your resume is concise, well-structured and full of relevant information.

Some specific tips include:

  • Make sure your resume is no longer than two pages (unless you have over 15 years’ experience in the industry)
  • Stick to a simple format and design that clearly displays your skills, experiences and qualifications without fluff
  • Highlight any relevant achievements or awards
  • Tailor your resume for each job application.
  • Open with a single paragraph that perfectly sums up your skills, experience and why they should hire you.

Some larger companies use automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to assess resumes for compatibility. Make sure your CV is readable by those systems. One way to do this is with a resume review by resume.io.

Be flexible with interview times

You may find yourself having to be a bit more accommodating than usual when it comes to arranging interviews. You may need to be open to online or telephone interviews as in-person meetings become harder and harder to arrange. Be open to meeting on weekends or evenings, too.

While obviously not ideal, this flexibility may need to include being open to interviewing in the new year. Even if you are perfectly suited to a particular role, an employer may just be too busy to interview you before the break. This doesn’t mean you need to stop your job hunt altogether. Just courteously lock in an interview date for January and continue your hunt.

Network

Even though many businesses may be winding down for the holidays, it’s even more important than ever to network and make connections. Reach out to people in your industry and let them know you’re looking for a new design job. They may know of positions that haven’t been posted yet. They may also have helpful advice on how to maximise your chances of success when applying.

In fact, reaching out to people in senior positions at companies you’d like to work at, may actually give you an advantage at this time of year. In December, hiring can easily be thrown in the too hard basket and put off until next year. Hit the right person’s inbox with an irresistible resume, however, and you might just enable them to tick one last item off their to-do list before they go on leave.

Stay Organised

With the holidays coming up, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the other tasks vying for your attention. Setting up an organisational system and keeping on top of your job search can help ensure you don’t miss any opportunities or deadlines.

This should include dedicating a set time window or number of hours per day to job hunting, follow up emails/calls and networking. Establishing a routine will get you better results than an adhoc approach which relies on you just getting lucky.

Keeping track of which jobs you’ve applied for, who you’ve followed up etc. can get tough to manage. Make sure you have a Google Sheet setup to keep track of it all and update it regularly.

Don’t get discouraged

Finding a design job during the holiday season can be tough. There are fewer roles being advertised, and employers may be slower to respond than usual due to the break. Don’t let this discourage you though and try not to take it personally. Follow the tips above and keep up the search. With perseverance, organisation and a bit of luck, you may just find yourself starting the new year in a perfect new job.

P.S. Remember to take a break yourself. Job hunting can be stressful, so if you can, try to take some time off to rest and rejuvenate. Happy Holidays!

Cover photo by Karolina Grabowska