Right at this moment you may feel like you are in a jam. At this point, you have edited and reedited your resume, your cover letter has been revamped and you have even filled in your LinkedIn Profile yet nothing seems to be working.

A fact you may not know is that apparently the unemployment rate has been decreasing and the amount of jobs in America has been increasing. Regardless, of these facts you may still be wondering where all of these jobs have been hiding.

1. The position is put on hold because of internal business issues.
2. They are using a staffing agency to help fill in candidates and the agency isn’t moving quickly to fill in positions.
3. The role you applied for is a position that they are always hiring for (a job may keep a position posted if there is high turnover in the position and they may keep it open even when they are not hiring
4. The company may not be in their hiring season

One major thing you should know is that December is the time to kick in your job efforts into high gear. December-January is one of the best times of the year for the job search. Many companies begin their yearly new hire trainings or they realize that they have more money in their budget to create positions or hire more employees. These are important reasons why many positions get posted during this period and people are hired.

However, if you are still not hearing back here are a few things you can do to improve your chances:

1. Research Holiday Networking Events – At this time there are many holiday parties and networking mixers that may be available for you to meet the right person.
2. Connect With Old Contacts- Touch base, show gratitude, support and ask for a reference. Schedule out time to call, email, or text old contacts because a referral always goes a long way in your job search.
3. Take Advantage of family and friends and brush up on interview skills – Use the holiday time as an opportunity to mock interview with your family and prep for future interviews.
4. Do more research on the kind of career you want, the companies and positions.

Comment down below with what has been helping you in your job search this December!

National Black MBA Association

Premier association supporting black professionals with MBA’s https://nbmbaa.org/

National Association of Black Journalists

Organization of journalists, students, and media-related professionals http://www.nabj.org/

National Urban League

Provide economic empowerment, educational opportunities and guarantee civil rights for the undeserved in America http://nul.iamempowered.com/

National Association of Multi-ethnicity in Communications

Premier organization supporting multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry http://namic.com/

The Association of Women in Communications

Professional organization that champions advancement of women across all communication disciplines. http://www.womcom.org/

Color Comm

Essential organization for women of color across all areas of communications. http://www.colorcommnetwork.com/

National Association of Professional Women

Professional network for all women in all industries. https://www.napw.com/

 

Professional organizations are highly beneficial to students who have just gradated from college and also young professionals seeking to expand their network. Professional organizations include a group of people from the same profession who meet regularly for network events and come up with business standards for the specific profession. Networking groups are beneficial for students because they provide an outlet for an individual to learn about a specific profession of interest and to seek out mentors. Young professionals who desire to expand their network and establish a career path can also benefit from mentors.

Here are 7 ways that professional networks can benefit you:

• Internships and Job Opportunities
  • Professional associations have their own job and internship boards where members can list openings available in their company. A job board in a professional organization can ben very beneficial because of the ability to get in contact with the individual who has posted the job.
• Conferences
  • Professional organizations often times host annual conferences or meet ups that can be highly beneficial towards networking, learning about the field, and finding mentors. Conferences are also discounted for members.
• Exclusive Online Resources
  • Professional Organizations offer a range of resources online that are made available to members such as message boards, databases, and even online courses.
• Professional Development
  • Professional development is a priority and organizations will sometimes offer free or discounted courses and certificates.
• Discounted Or Free Publications
  • Free membership will also include access to newsletters, magazines, and video tutorials.
• Mentoring
  • The nature of professional networks is that it allows you to be exposed to a number of people within a particular industry. Many times this is a good foundation for meeting a mentor or requesting for available coaching or mentorship services.
• Scholarship
  • For young members there may be scholarships available to encourage individuals seeking to enter into a particular field.

January 2018

Creativation – January 18-22, 2018 | Phoenix, AZ | creative industry professionals

Building Creative Communities Conference – January 25-28, 2018 | Colquitt, GA | creative

BlogHer 18 Health + Wellness Conference– January 30^th-January 31^st | female health + wellness bloggers

February 2018

Thrive Conference – February 23-25, 2018 | Austin, TX | female creative entrepreneurs

Create + Cultivate – February 24, 2018 | Los Angeles, CA | female creative entrepreneurs

Alt Summit – February 26-28, 2018 | Palm Springs, CA | creative entrepreneurs

Social Media Marketing World – February 28-March 2, 2018 | San Diego, CA | social marketing creators

March 2018

Makers Summit – March 16-17, 2018 | Greenville, SC | creative entrepreneurs

Florida Creativity Weekend – March 23-25, 2018 | Sarasota, FL | creative

SXSW – March 9-18, 2018 | Austin,TX | creative and entrepreneurs

April 2018

The Blog Connect Conference – April 29^th, 2018 | Philadelphia, PA | bloggers

May 2018

99U Conference – May 9-11, 2018 | New York, NY | creative

The Startup Conference – May 2018 | Redwood City, CA | entrepreneurs

June 2018

Creative Pro Week – June 4-8, 2018 | New Orleans, LA | graphic designers and Adobe

Forbes Women’s Summit – June 18-19, 2018 | New York, NY |

July 2018

Focused Blogging Conference – July 11-14, 2018 | Richmond, VA | bloggers