Summertime Job Search

The 100+ degree temps last week, school's out for the big kids next Tuesday and I have a dozen swim team emails in my InBox. It's true. Summer is here. What does this mean for your job search?

Every summer, and Momentum Resources is going into it's fourth now, we anticipate a summer slow down in hiring. And every August we say, Gee, we've been really busy the last few months! Particularly as we continue through economic recovery, employers' hiring needs don't just go away as the temperatures rise.

Here's what you need to know for an effective summertime job search:

• Still Active? Firstly, if you're going to take a break from an active search during the summer, you need to let everyone in your process know. This includes companies you've been talking to, your advocates and recruiters- namely, us! The worst thing that could happen is I call you with a dream job and you say no, I'm sorry, I don't have any summer care lined up for my kids and we're taking a 3 week trip to the Cape. That makes us look bad to our clients and hurts your longer-term employment success. Enjoy the time at the Cape, just let us know where things stand.
• Scheduling! Whereas we don't predict in decline in the pace of the hiring market, we can -based on past performance- predict scheduling h-e-double hockey sticks. Between candidate's travel and hiring manager's travel, it can take a month to get a darned interview SCHEDULED. That's not to say you should cancel plans for a potential interview, but if you are deep in the hiring process with an organization, let them know when you're expected to be out of town and let them know how they can reach out. If you're still in a very active search and in vacation planning mode, consider some long weekends and partial weeks in lieu of a 2-3 week holiday to make scheduling easier.
• Network, of course. As the business pace slows in some organizations, it's the perfect time for you to reconnect with former colleagues and expand your professional network. Use the well-honed Folsom strategy of taking someone for coffee (captive audience, 30 minutes, $10-- works every time) and asking about their career, how they got the flexibility they wanted, into the organization they wanted, etc.

And if you have to be on the pool deck with a swim team timer in your hand, might as well network there, too!