Hey everybody. Welcome back to Recruiting 101 with Camille and Kiera. Recruiting 101 is dedicated to helping candidates understand the process from a recruiter’s perspective. In this segment, we’ll be sharing tips and tricks as we experience them. This week’s topic is about applying and interviewing during the holidays.
We thought this would be a great topic. And even for myself, I started at Hirewell last year, during January. So I’m just coming up on my one year anniversary. And I was interviewing, during the holidays with Hirewell. It’s a very weird time to apply and be interviewing. So we thought we could give a few tips just to help you get through the holidays if you are on the job search.
Yeah, so applying for a job is a job itself. So we just want to give you a few tips that we think will help, so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Because I know that sometimes applying for multiple jobs can be very overwhelming. So what I suggest doing to start off is list your three motivating factors that you are looking for in your next job. As you switch jobs, what are those three things? Is non-negotiable for you. And I think that will really help you find the types of companies that are going to be a good fit. And I just think it’ll narrow down some of your options if you do it that way. And overall, you’ll be happier if you do this.
Definitely. And if you know what you’re looking for, don’t waste your time applying for a role that doesn’t have one of those three things. So maybe like working from home is really important for you. Maybe a 401K match or really great benefits. Maybe a hybrid work environment. Anything that you’re looking for.
Don’t waste your time applying for any roles that you wouldn’t be happy about and wouldn’t be excited to interview with. And just like a little tip that I always have, it’s better to apply well to 10 jobs than to mass apply to 50. I know some people just like to throw applications out there, get their name, get their resume out there, but you will burn out from doing that.
So it’s great to set boundaries. Something that I have done in the past is set a certain amount of time per day. However many days a week you want to interview and apply for jobs, because it’s a job in itself. You don’t need to be doing it from the second you wake up to the second you go to bed, because it is hard.
You do want to stop, start a job soon. You do want to get out there, but you are going to burn out if you do that. So set a time for yourself, like only applying from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM like 1 to 3. Take a lunch break, treat it like a job, and don’t do the same task all day. So I think that’s a really great tip and just making sure.
Making sure you’re not overdoing it and overwhelming yourself, because it is hard when you’re in the position you really want to get something new. Maybe you were just recently laid off and you need a job right away. But I guarantee if you make those boundaries for yourself and if you only apply during certain times, it’s still the same as applying all day.
Like you won’t lose anything just by setting those boundaries, it’ll be better for yourself and your mental health in the end. Yeah. And mental health is really important to think about when applying for these jobs. You are at this job five days a week, most likely, and eight hours a day. So if it’s not somewhere you’re going to be happy, then you need to really think about that when you’re applying to this type of position.
Even though a job is a job, you want to be happy at your job. And I know that at a lot of companies that is possible, but there’s also going to be companies that isn’t the greatest fit for you personally. Keeping that in mind is really important. You don’t just want any job. You want a job that’s a good fit on both ends. And in order to do that, you can do some research on the companies. There’s a lot of resources Camille and I have talked about on how to find out about different companies. And where to look at reviews. So you can go check out some of our other videos that talk about that. But I suggest narrowing it down to three companies to start. Really focus on those three companies. Research about each company, and then you’ll get an idea of what the company is about. If it fits your three motivating factors. And if it’s somewhere that you can really see yourself fitting in. Also doing this, you’re also prepping yourself ahead of time. You have done your research on that company, so your interview process will go a lot smoother because you can talk about what you know about the company and what you found out when doing your research.
So I think both of those things are really great to keep in mind when searching for your perfect company. Yeah. Yeah, those are great tips. And I know we’ve given a few tips about applying, so I want to talk a little bit about scheduling interviews during the holidays. So I think it’s really important, even though a phone screen or an interview, it might only be 30 to like 45 minutes and you could stack those all day if you wanted to. But you shouldn’t, you should be able to give your time and your energy, your focus and your commitment to that phone call. And making sure you’re a hundred percent present. Having your notes with you. Done your research. And really give the best version of yourself. So in order to give the best version of yourself, you want to make sure to schedule those interviews during the time of day when you feel the best.
So maybe that’s like late morning, afternoon. Right before the workday ends. Whatever works for you. Just be mindful when you’re scheduling those. And also, keep it to only one or two interviews a day. Even though it’s only 30 minutes, 45 minutes, you shouldn’t be stacking those, because it’s just not going to be a good interview experience for you if you’re burnt out and tired.
You should just really treat every interview equally. And give it as much energy and commitment as the one before. In order to do that, you don’t need to do so many a day. And then also just a little tip about scheduling them, is make sure that you schedule them around your schedule, obviously within reason. But make sure it’s not during a holiday party or any time with your loved ones, anything like that. Just be mindful of yourself and your mental health. And just be able to set those boundaries. Like you will get to that interview, obviously within reason. But just make sure it’s a good time for you and you’re not rushing it and getting it done. And you’re not traveling, anything like that. Just make sure you’re being mindful of that.
So it’s a good experience for a job search just because it is hard. So you want to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Yeah, and scheduling around the holidays, there are a lot of companies that are moving a little bit slower just because a lot of people are on PTO and out of the office. So if you do have something like a week long vacation, you can take that time.
They will schedule around you. So be mindful of that. You don’t need to squeeze them in. They will make the time that is necessary, and if that time doesn’t work for them, they will find a time that does. So I would really just keep that in mind that you don’t need a rush to get them done. Take your time, make sure that you’re ready and prepared, going into it. And also, like Camille had said, if you’re scheduling more than two interviews in a day, it’s going to be really hard to keep your facts and your research straight with each of the companies. They’re all going to kind of blend together. And I know in experience, that if I’m saying a lot of the same things and talking about myself and my experiences, sometimes I forget what I’ve already said. Because I’ve talked about it a lot that day.
So you also don’t want to get stuck in that rhythm where you’re not sure if you had already mentioned it or not. I definitely think be mindful of when you’re scheduling the interviews, how many a day you’re scheduling, and just making sure you have that proper amount of time to prepare in between each one.
Yeah. And if you’re not sure, like say you have a week long vacation or going to be out of town for a few days or something, you can always ask the recruiter. Say, “Hey, I’m going outta town for two days. I really want to interview with you, but I’m going to be busy. Am I putting myself out of the running by delaying it for two days?”
And they’ll be honest and transparent with you. And there you’ll have your answer and you’ll be able to move your schedule around that. So if you’re unsure about moving or if you’re scared that it would put you out of the running for the role, anything like that, just be transparent with the recruiter. And they’ll be able to help you schedule that and work through that.
So you can always do that as well if you’re unsure. Yeah, that’s great advice. All right. Thank you so much for joining us today. Remember to check out all of our content on Talent Insights dot hire well.com and follow us on LinkedIn for more content. Have a wonderful rest of your day and holidays. Happy holidays everybody.
Bye.
