Go ahead...take the summer off!

posted by Bob Waldo on June 9, 2009 on ERE Community

Summer's here, nobody's hiring, so I'll take three months off from my job search.

Sounds like a plan for success to me. Don't you agree? I man, heck,
it's summer. Everyone's on vacation. Nobody's thinking about hiring.
They're thinking about trips to the beach or the mountains.
They're packing up for Caribbean Cruises or are about to spend a month
travelling Europe. Nobody's hiring in the summer, so I'll just put the
job search in neutral, hang out on the deck in swim trunks, sandals and
a straw hat, with a Pina Colada at my side while I delve into this
month's best seller.

WRONG!

Just another lazy excuse for not finding the intestinal fortitude to
continue the work you started months ago when you began your job
search, that's all it is. Do the summer months tend to get slower? Yes
they do. Are the last two weeks in August exponentially worse that the
preceding three months of slow activity? You bet.

Don't get caught up in this mentality, as it's lethal. Stay focused
in your efforts, because the likelihood is that your competition has
fallen asleep in a lounge chair on the patio as the result of too much
sun, alcohol, and boring text. Take advantage of this time and continue
to seek opportunity, network with colleagues and business contacts, and
you'll be pleasantly surprised at two things that I believe will be the
result of your diligence. First, people do hire during the summer. If
you work hard, you may squeeze out an additional interview or two. It
may not seem like much, but you'll be two interviews closer to landing
your new job! Secondly, when Labor Day comes around, and hiring starts
to pick up again, guess who's already out of the gates and running
while the rest of the competition is still in an alcohol and sun
induced stupor?

I know which tack I'm taking this summer, and you can bet it doesn't
involve UV rays, spiced rum, and bad romance novels. I'll see the rest
of you at the finish line.