It’s that time of year again, when job seekers think they may as well stop looking for a job throughout the holiday season. No one will be hiring anyway, so you may as well take the rest of the year off, right?

Not true, according to HR and job search experts. Although some companies may have no budget left for hiring, others still have openings they need to fill by the end of the fiscal year. That means it’s unwise to assume a company won’t be bringing on new candidates unless they announce a hiring freeze.

The savvy career searcher maintains job hunt momentum throughout the holiday season and finds fresh ways to leverage networking to open doors with hiring employers. After all, there are increased opportunities to network offline throughout this period, and each event you attend offers the gift of connecting with people you haven’t met or haven’t met in awhile.

As you launch your own holiday networking campaign, make sure you avoid these “naughty” tactics:

Holiday Networking ‘Naughty’ Tactics To Avoid

1. Focusing only on your search needs. Leverage a give-to-get strategy, instead, by cultivating your relationship with the people you encounter in your holiday merrymaking. Ask them astute questions about their workplace needs, and look for ways you can help.

2. Asking for jobs, information, or leads without first offering to give one or more of the same first. Above all else, the holiday season is a time to connect in meaningful ways with people you already know and those you don’t – you can’t do this if your sole focus is on you.

3. Pushing your job search agenda on influential contacts. If you focus on proving your usefulness first, you won’t have to push your agenda at all.

4. Sending out networking requests disguised as holiday greetings. Remember – you don’t have to ask for something each time you connect with your network. Focus on giving something every time you connect with your network.

5. Expecting quick responses from anyone about anything. The closer we get to Christmas and New Year’s, the more delay you can expect in any job search-related communication. Accept this and move on.
Focus your holiday energies on leveraging these “nice” door-opening strategies even Santa would love…

Holiday Networking ‘Nice’ Strategies

1. Attending a wide variety of holiday events and be prepared to make connections. Whether you’re going to parties or open houses, joining a friend for a company event, or enjoying dinner with one or more friends, use every outing to gather insight and information.

2. Preparing a two-sided business card for on-the-spot networking. Present your search targets and brand statement on side one, and showcase your experience, credentials, and impacts briefly on side two. If a two-sided card is too small, try a fold-over card that allows you to print text inside and out. If this is still too small, why not try a postcard instead?

3. Building a holiday list. Like Santa, you need to know what everyone on your target list is seeking. Ask the contacts and job seekers you meet how you can help them, and keep a record of their responses for immediate follow-up. Look for ways to refer job seekers to recruiters and companies and suggest recruiters and companies to job seekers.

4. Proactively refering potential candidates to recruiters, companies, and hiring managers. Be the star in your network by preparing a brief intro about job seekers you know and feel comfortable recommending, then offer their contact information (with permission, of course) to recruiters and companies that match the job seeker’s search targets.

5. Following up promptly. If you’re not already using a relationship management strategy like Jason Alba’s JibberJobber, now is the time to get started. JibberJobber was made for holiday networking all year long, and helps you to manage follow-up activities while nudging relationships to the next level.

6. Following your follow-up with a personal marketing brief to gently introduce your own career interests. A personal marketing brief is a brilliant networking tool, perfect for those times when a resume is premature. This one-page document highlights your career brand, history of achievements, experience, and credentials, while clarifying your target positions, industries, and types of prospective employers.

7. Using the period between Christmas and New Year’s to recontact all previous interviewers. Let your past interviewers know that you’re still available. I’ve known more than one candidate who reopened an opportunity by proactively reaching out during an otherwise slow period.

8. Sending out New Year greetings to influential contacts in your network. Include a short, brand-driven message about your value proposition, assuming that you have previously sent a holiday message with zero branding included. This strategy allows you to refresh the memories of your influential contacts with your candidacy as they put the holidays behind them and return to work in the New Year.

Remember persistence and assertiveness are always in season. When paired with people-smart search strategies, your holiday networking can yield a bounty of new gifts in the New Year.