Holidays are a Prime Time to Network Your Way to a Job or Internship

The holidays are a hectic time of year. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, life can be a whirlwind of school programs, shopping, entertaining, and traveling. Unfortunately, a schedule of seasonal obligations can easily bump other activities off the calendar, such as the search for a full-time job or a summer internship.

Smart networkers know that the holiday season is a great time to kick into high gear. Whether you are an adult looking for employment or a student seeking an internship, the holidays can be the best time of year to uncover such opportunities. Savor your holiday activities, but use this time also to make progress on your search.

Here are seven suggestions for holiday networking, giving you reasons as to why this can truly be “the best time of the year”:

1. At holiday events, you may find yourself talking to more people than usual and meeting new contacts. Arm yourself with business cards printed with your contact information, and for students, your school and academic major as well.
2. Be prepared to share about your employment or internship goal and, succinctly, your capabilities. This is your time to shine.
3. Enlist the support of your family and friends by asking them to be aware of possible contacts for you. Tell them what kind of job or internship you are looking for and at what types of companies, so they can spot opportunities for you. Ask them to pass along names and contact information of people they meet promptly so you can follow up on these leads while they are still fresh.
4. Managers often evaluate end of year staffing needs and accelerate searches for open positions. Be visible. Make sure you identify potential managers in your target companies and introduce yourself to them as a contender.
5. Ask to meet with contacts. In some companies, business is a bit slower at the end of the year, so individuals may be able to more easily accommodate your request.
6. Students, approach small to mid-size companies to explore a possible internship, especially those businesses which have never had interns. Ask about projects they have been putting off that you might work on. You may plant a seed with your inquiry about an internship that may take a few weeks for managers to consider.
7. Are you a college student with a winter break of a month? You may be able to begin working for an organization during this time, and then turn a temporary job over the holidays into a summer internship. Create your own opportunity.

Finally, keep up your momentum. Many individuals put their job or internship search on ice over the holidays, and then find it difficult to get motivated in January. Instead, you will begin the new year already on a roll, way ahead of everyone else!