One of the most enjoyable parts of the holidays are attending holiday parties, catching up with people you know and meeting new people. Interestingly, catching up with people you know and meeting new people is a wonderful opportunity to NETWORK. Coincidentally, networking is the NUMBER ONE WAY TO FIND A JOB.

So, how do you party your way to a new job?

How to “Party” Your Way to a New Job

If you “party” the right way, you will leverage the holidays for your job search while you are enjoying them.

More on Holiday Job Hunting Holiday Hope Helpful Holiday Table Talk Holiday Party to a New Job Holiday Networking for Introverts Are Recruiters on Your Holiday Card List? Best Times of the Year for Job Search

• Know what you want – job titles and target employers.
• Prepare and rehearse a short answer to the “What are you looking for?” question, when/if you are asked, but don’t make it the main topic of every conversation you have.
  Note: “Anything!” is an absolutely useless response, and, also, wrong unless you could be a rocket scientist AND a brain surgeon, etc.  “Customer service supervisor with a bank or financial services company like ABC, XYZ, or EFG” is a much more useful type of response, if appropriate, and much more likely to generate useful responses from others.
• Bring “networking cards.”
  Networking cards include your name, profession or target job, email, personal (or job search) cell phone number, LinkedIn profile URL, and Twitter account.
• Renew some “old” friendships and working/student relationships, people who already know you and your work.
  Contact former colleagues, co-workers, bosses, and subordinates. And/or contact former classmates. Suggest a “holiday alumni reunion” (see Job-Hunt’s directory of Corporate Alumni Groups or search LinkedIn Groups), and meet at an old hangout for your reunion get-together.  Catch up with what’s going on with everyone else, and share what you’re doing (or contemplating doing).
• To maximize meeting new people, attend at least one party you’ve never attended before.
  Check with local professional, charity, or business groups (whatever is most appropriate and appealing) to see if they have a holiday event you can attend.
• Be a good networker.
  Connect, and catch up with others. Do more listening than talking (2 ears, 1 mouth – for a reason).
  Learn what other people are doing before sharing information about your job search. That strategy is both polite and useful.  Maybe they work at one of your target employers?
  Try to think of some way you can help the people you have met – maybe a contact name for them, recommendation on a great gift for their kids, or something else useful to them.
• Enjoy yourself, within reason.
  Company holiday parties are infamous for the idiot who gets drunk and tells off the boss.  This kind of situation is what’s known as a ‘career-limiting move” and you don’t want to do that, even if that former boss may deserve it.

Networking is a long-term activity where you help others as much as they help you, sharing information and leads, and the holidays provide a wonderful excuse and venue for expanding your network.

Since networking, like everything else, is VERY seldom a “quick fix” to anyone’s job search efforts, growing the size and strength of your network at holiday parties is a smart strategy.

Bottom Line

Any holiday gathering usually provides us with a wonderful opportunity to get back in touch with old friends, and to meet new friends.  The opportunity to attend parties translates into an increase in networking opportunities which can provide you with some good job leads!

Get more holiday career tips from Career Collective members:

• Martin Buckland: Season’s Greetings and Your Job Search
• Heather Mundell: Have a Holly Jolly Job Search
• Erin Kennedy: How to keep up the Job Hunt during the Holidays
• Hannah Morgan: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Cheers
• Gayle Howard: It’s Christmas: And a ho-ho-ho-hum?
• Laurie Berenson: Three Resolutions to Take It Up a Notch
• Dawn Bugni: Could that sound really be opportunity? During the Holidays?
• GL Hoffman:  Merry Christmas! Can I Buy You Coffee to Talk About Me?
• Barbara Safani: Holiday Networking Can Facilitate New Year Opportunities
• Heather R. Huhman:  4 Tips for Making the Most of Holiday Job Hunting
• Chandlee Bryan:  Job Search Tips for the Holidays
• KCCareerCoach:  The Gift Every Laid Off Job Seeker Needs
• resumeservice:  Holiday Resume Sparkle: Outshine the New Year Job-Search Mob
• careerealism:  Holiday Tip for Job Seekers: 4 Ways to Impress Others with Your Professionalism
• KatCareerGal:  Avoiding the Holiday Blues in Your Job Search
• sweetcareers:  Holiday Job Search Tips for College Students 2009
• WorkWithIllness: Avoid this Minefield: No Holiday Here!
• andyinnaples: Shift Your Focus to the Highest Impact Job Search Activities During the Holidays to Leverage Your Time
• keppie_careers: Four tips for effective networking follow-up for the holidays and the rest of the year
• expatcoachmegan: Holidays are a Great Time to Nurture and Grow your Network
• ValueIntoWords: Navigating the Mistle Toe of Job Search

About the author …

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter @JobHuntOrg.