The end of the year is often a time for reflection. If you’ve been one of the many Americans on the search for a new job, there is definitely a light at the end of the 2015 tunnel. After a number of months of below-average and underwhelming employment numbers, job gains in October exceeded expectations. With employment remaining mostly unchanged at 5.0 percent, these numbers are the lowest since April 2008, according to a November job market update from Adecco.
There’s Still Time
Although it may feel counterintuitive to be focusing on a job search in December, it’s actually a great time to make you and your skills visible to hiring managers. Because many people choose to delay the job search until the beginning of the year, this is the time to best compete against fewer candidates for the same job. When you couple this with the 271,000 jobs added to the U.S. economy in October, there’s no time like the present to get the job search started.
Starting the New Year off Right
When you think about it, what could be better than starting off Jan. 2 with a new job? By landing a new position during the height of the holidays, you’ll be in a position to start the New Year off feeling great. An important aspect of cementing a fresh start at a new job includes making a good impression on new co-workers and managers. Just as you left the old year behind at the stroke of midnight, it’s a good idea to also leave behind bad relationships with former co-workers and pre-conceptions about the “right” or “wrong” way to do things. This allows for a clear outlook on how a new workplace does things.
Targeting a Great First Impression
As a new employee, it’s usually a given that you have the skills to do the job. Instead co-workers will be observing how you handle yourself in new situations. Each interaction is an opportunity for others to observe how you handle challenges and stressors as well as the ways you celebrate the positives. Are you someone who shares credit when it is due? Do you positively contribute to discussions and offer constructive assistance? All of these seemingly small actions add up to a first impression that becomes a perception and eventually a hard-to-budge reputation. In the beginning, error on the positive side, particularly when people are shaping their viewpoint of you. Good initial impressions and quality follow-through are what allows new employees to navigate the learning curve positively so they become assets to co-workers and employers.
Job seekers looking for manufacturing, engineering and construction jobs in the Kansas City area rely on the experience of the recruiters at Austin Nichols Technical Search. Our Team works to match the best candidate with the right position. This includes quality interactions with our clients throughout the recruiting process, and job candidates always benefit from resume assessment, interview preparation and assistance with final-stage negotiations. Click here to learn more about the recruiting staff at Austin Nichols Technical Search.
As a top Kansas City recruiting firm since 1988, Austin Nichols Technical Search has served clients in a variety of fields and specializations. Austin Nichols specializes in direct hire and contract recruiting for all generations in manufacturing, construction, engineering, and technical positions.
