Keep Your Job Search Alive in the Summer

Keep Your Job Search Alive in the SummerKeep Your Job Search Alive in the SummerLets face it. During the dog days of summer, youd rather be sipping a cold one on the beach rather than hunkering down in front of your computer to continue your seemingly never-ending job search. But its a good idea to continue your search, no matter what the season. Heres how to keep your job search alive in the summer.Reach out to old contacts. While its always important to keep in touch with former colleagues and bosses, its especially crucial when youre job hunting. Take the time to roll through your Rolodex (uh, contact files, for any Millenials out there who never actually used a Rolodex) of names to see who you can reconnect with. Aleidher good strategy is to review your LinkedIn contacts and profile for your job search. Let the person know that youre looking for a new position and find out if he knows of any openings. Be sure to follow up with a thank you (even if your interaction doesnt yield an y real job leads) so the person knows that you appreciate his efforts anyway.Ask for informational interviews. Youve applied for dozens of jobs and havent heard a peep back. Sure, its frustrating when employers dont respond after job interviews. What you need to do is eliminate the competition. This is how to do it Instead of adding your resume to a huge pile on a hiring managers desk, reach out directly to the CEO (or whomever would be your potential boss) and ask for an informational interview. In a short email, explain what you like about the company and how you would like to request a 15-minute informational interview to speak about your goals and how they could fit with the company. When you show interest (and knowledge) in both the organization and the persons accomplishments, its easier to get your foot in the door- and make a great impression.Update your social media. Summer is the perfect time to dust the cobwebs off your public Facebook profile page and add some snazzy new updates. Ditto for your LinkedIn profile, too. It can be as simple as posting a more current photo of yourself, or even letting potential hiring managers know that you just completed your Masters. Making sure that your profiles look fresh, clean and updated can go a long way in helping you find a new job.Attend networking events. You might feel like youve hit every networking event this side of the Mississippi, but you should still keep attending them. These events put you up close and personal with industry leaders who have the power to hire you- or connect you with someone who will. Another option is speed networking, which offers a great- and fast- way to meet potential new employers, and practice your pitch.Invite a potential colleague out to lunch. If its geographically convenient, its an interesting option to invite a potential colleague out to lunch. Similar to the informational interview, asking a person youd like to work with to dine and gab can be not only a great way to learn more about the company, but offer an in into the company. And since summer lunch meetings typically last longer, you might be able to score some extra time. Be sure to bring your resume and portfolio with you, but only bring it out when the person youve invited requests it. Above all, make sure that your lunch meeting doesnt sound like a desperate pitch for a job. Show interest in the company and what the person does in her role. That way, you can learn the ins and outs of the company and leave a good impression, should a job become available in the future.Summer days are anything but lazy when youre looking for a job. Take advantage of warm days to ramp up your job searching, and youll find yourself a step ahead of the competition.Readers, how would you describe summer job searching efforts? Let us know in the comments section below