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????親愛的安妮：過去六個多月，我的一位好朋友一直在找工作，但他說在七月和八月份要“暫停一下”。他的理由是，在夏天，雇主不會聘用任何人。但我就是在去年八月中旬獲得我目前這份工作的，所以，我清楚地知道，公司夏季不招聘，這個觀點不一定永遠是正確的。但是，我是不是只是個例外？或者，夏季仍然是求職的好時機呢？請您對我們的辯論做個公證的評判。我們正在對您的答案打賭，輸家請吃龍蝦大餐。——科德角 ????親愛的科德角：獵頭公司Winter Wyman的合伙人帕蒂?科菲表示，“公司通常在夏季削減招聘人數的說法子虛烏有。事實上，即使在一年中最熱的幾個月中，大多數公司的招聘節奏也沒有放緩，或許甚至會加快招聘的步伐。” ????正如人們預想的一樣，夏季求職最麻煩的是在休假期間安排面試。科菲表示：“平時只需三周的面試過程在夏季可能延長到五周，甚至更久。所以，求職者可能要比平時多一些耐心。” ????即使如此，科菲認為求職者仍需鍥而不舍地堅持下去，原因如下： ????1．面試官的時間比較寬裕。“對許多行業來說，夏季是業務淡季。例如，會計師事務所冬季和開春時期是最忙的，所以，夏季對他們來說，是打造團隊，培訓人才的最佳時機，”科菲表示。 ????2．職位空缺依然存在。雖然科菲的專業是IT招聘，但她很清楚，由于有經驗的求職者數量不足，所以職位空缺的數量依然很大，特別是在東部和中西部地區。招聘網站Dice.com最近對招聘工程師的900位經理進行了調查。結果顯示，65%的受訪者希望在2011年下半年增加人手，也就是說，從七月份就得開始招聘了。 ????但是，即便非IT類的求職者，在夏季求職也擁有一個獨特的優勢。“如果其他求職者都認為夏季不是找工作的好時間，那你面臨的競爭就少多了。” ????3．夏季的臨時職位更多。科菲表示：“許多公司都需要招聘臨時員工，填補休假員工的職位空缺；特別是有些員工煞費苦心，精心安排，為的就是趕在夏季休多休幾天。而這些臨時職位有可能會轉變成為固定職位。” ????4．夏季為打造人脈網絡提供更多機遇。科菲表示：“夏季社交活動頻繁，求職者應充分利用打高爾夫球、與鄰居聚會等機會，擴大人脈網。” ????5．面試程序可能會提速。“雖然夏季的休假計劃會延長面試的過程，但是，招聘方也可能加快面試的步伐，”科菲表示，“招聘經理有可能會化繁為簡，把所有面試盡可能安排在一天內進行。” ????6．夏季換工作可能更容易。夏季的工作節奏可能較慢，求職者可能有更好的機會與未來的同事和老板相互了解。科菲表示：“對于那些需要搬家的家庭來說，夏季帶給他們的影響較小，因為孩子沒必要在學年的中途轉學。” ????7．夏季“溜號”更容易。對于那些“騎驢找馬”的求職者來說，夏季也是一個理想的季節。“七、八月的工作安排更寬松，比如，周五的工作時間縮短，而且還有非法定的長周末，這些都能讓你在不被別人注意的情況下，悄悄從辦公室溜走。事實上，八月是休‘求職假’的好時期，可以利用其中的幾天，為自己安排為期一周的密集求職和面試。” ????這樣看來，你要在這次打賭中勝出了——但是，考慮到你朋友目前處于失業狀態，這頓龍蝦大餐還是你來做東吧！ ????反饋：夏季是一個非常有利的求職時機。你同意嗎？歡迎發表評論。 ????翻譯：喬樹靜 |
????Dear Annie: Please settle an argument. A close friend of mine who has been job hunting for the past six months or so is talking about taking July and August "off," on the theory that employers don't hire anyone in the summer anyway. I got my job in mid-August last year, so I know firsthand this isn't always true, but was I just an exception, or is summer generally a good time to keep job hunting? We have a lobster dinner riding on your answer. — Cape Cod ????Dear C.C.: "The idea that companies cut back on hiring in the summer is a myth," says Patty Coffey, a partner at staffing firm Winter Wyman. "In fact, most employers fill job openings at the same pace, or even an increased pace, during the hottest months of the year." ????The trickiest part of a summer job hunt is, as you might imagine, scheduling interviews around people's vacations. "An interview process that would normally take three weeks may stretch out to five weeks or even longer," Coffey notes. "So candidates may have to be a little more patient than usual." ????Even so, Coffey says that there are seven reasons you should persevere: ????1. Interviewers are less pressed for time. "It's a slow season in many industries. Accounting firms, for example, are busiest in the winter and early spring, so summer is a great time for them to build and train their staff," Coffey says. ????2. The jobs are there. Since her specialty is IT recruiting, Coffey is keenly aware of the number of jobs currently going unfilled due to a scarcity of skilled candidates, particularly in the East and the Midwest. A recent Dice.com poll of 900 managers who hire techies says that 65% hope to add staff in the second half of 2011 --that is, starting in July. ????But even non-IT candidates enjoy one distinct advantage during the summer: "You face less competition if other job seekers are buying into the summer-slowdown myth." ????3. Contract-to-hire positions are more abundant during summer. "Many organizations bring in contract employees to fill in for people on vacation, or for people who have timed longer leaves of absence like sabbaticals to coincide with summer," Coffey says. "These temporary positions could turn into permanent jobs." ????4. There are more opportunities for in-person networking. "Summer is a social season," notes Coffey. "So take advantage of occasions like golf outings and neighborhood get-togethers to expand your professional network." ????5. Interviews may be sped up. "While summer vacation schedules can prolong the interview process, they can also expedite it," Coffey says. "Hiring managers may decide to pack a whole series of interviews into as little as one day, to avoid the complexity of scheduling multiple meetings." ????6. Summer may make a transition easier. Since the pace of work may be somewhat less hectic, job candidates may find they have a better chance of getting acquainted with prospective colleagues and bosses. "It can also be less traumatic for families if a move is involved," Coffey notes, "since children wouldn't have to switch schools mid-year." ????7. You can sneak away from the office more easily. For people who already have jobs and are seeking new ones, summer is ideal, Coffey notes: "With more lax schedules in July and August, including shortened workdays on Fridays and unofficial long weekends, it's easier to slip away unnoticed. In fact, August is a good time to take a 'job search vacation,' where you use some vacation days to conduct a week-long blitz of intense searching and interviewing." ????Given all that, it seems you win this bet -- but, in light of your friend's unemployed status, why not spring for the lobsters anyway? ????Talkback: Do you agree that summer can be an especially advantageous time to find a new job? Leave a comment below. |
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