Keep Your Job-Search Spirits Up During the Holiday Season With These 5 Tips

This may be the bleakest time of year for job hunting, but that doesn't mean your résumé needs to hibernate until Spring. There are still plenty of ways to stay on game with your networking and job-search skills, and in fact, this time of year can be prime for making new contacts while spirits are high and conversation is easy.

Impact Group, a woman-owned career transitions firm, gave us a few tips for easing the struggle of job hunting during this crazy holiday season. Keep reading for some wintertime job-search inspiration.

Set Small Goals
StockSnap | Cathryn Lavery

Set Small Goals

If your job-search goals for the end of the year are too lofty (like "land new job immediately"), that's a surefire way to not achieve them. Most likely, you'll gaze at a list of too-big goals, decide you have no chance of reaching them, and give up. Keep your goals manageable by identifying smaller steps (such as finding a few interesting job listings, editing your résumé, following up on leads) and crossing off each one as you accomplish them.

Attend as Many Holiday Events as Possible
POPSUGAR Photography | Blake Smith

Attend as Many Holiday Events as Possible

It may seem daunting to attend holiday events where you'll have to make small talk — especially answering the dreaded "So, what do you do?" — but these seasonal events can actually be perfect opportunities to casually get to know people who might prove helpful on the job front. Allow the cozy warmth of the holidays to infuse these social interactions so it'll be a smoother transition into professional opportunities. After a festive holiday event, it'll be easy to toss out, "Want to grab coffee sometime soon?"

Reach Out to Your Contacts — Both Old and New
Flickr user Lauren Manning

Reach Out to Your Contacts — Both Old and New

If the busy nature of this season has your contacts booked up for social opportunities, don't underestimate the power of the written word. Sending along a cute holiday card to your contacts — both old friends and recent introductions — is an easy way to network and stay top-of-mind during this hectic season.

Engage in Casual Conversation
StockSnap | Tj Holowaychuk

Engage in Casual Conversation

While you're making the rounds at the aforementioned holiday events or other social situations, don't feel the need to talk business. During the holidays, most people prefer to chitchat about travel plans, their family, how their dog looks in a Santa hat — you know, fun stuff. Although your mind may be focused on landing a job ASAP, allow the conversation to meander, as this is the kind of thing that can lead to real human connections.

Do Some Volunteer Work
Flickr user Morgan

Do Some Volunteer Work

Volunteering to help others is almost always a win-win situation: others benefit from your efforts while you get that rush of feel-good brain chemicals from the act of giving. If you're unemployed, it can provide a sense of purpose and accomplishment. As an added bonus, volunteering affords you the chance to meet like-minded individuals you most likely wouldn't have met otherwise. Any of those people can become helpful professional contacts in the future — you never know!

Even better, if you have the chance to volunteer with an organization where you might like to work (or at a company within your field of interest), it'll give you a sense of how things work there and whether you'll enjoy the work and culture. Think of it as a trial day.