How many times have you tried to look for a job or apply for a job but found yourself unemployed because businesses are now closing for the holiday season?
If you’re unemployed, then the holiday season can be a dark place to be. You could be balancing your cash flow, expenses, family commitments, and Christmas gift purchases.
In general, it is known that hiring managers in most industries will begin to reduce recruiting and hiring tasks starting in November until January or February, when these tasks will start to pick up again.
Here are some actions you can take.
Be flexible
The holiday season can be a great reason to connect with friends and acquaintances. You can reconnect with people you may have lost touch with.
Networking is a great way to search for those jobs that are not advertised. While some industries will definitely quiet down for Christmas, there will be others that will require more staff. Look for them.
If you get a call, be prepared to be interviewed at unusual times. Be flexible with the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s busy vacation schedule.
Philanthropic organizations are active during the holiday period. Volunteering with these organizations can be a great way to network, gain additional skills, and fill the gap that unemployment might leave on your resume.
Unsurprisingly, people want to take some time off during the holiday season. Employers may be actively seeking casual or temporary staff to fill these gaps left by employees going on vacation. An occasional, temporary or part-time job can be a great way to enter the job market. It’s also a great way to manage your cash flow and earn some money.
Keep an eye out for a variety of temporary and part-time jobs available in retail and hospitality. Retail work includes sales, customer service, merchandising, stocking, and gift wrapping. Hospitality, hotels, restaurants and catering companies need additional staff to organize and manage their events and New Year’s Eve parties.
Find creative ways to make money
There are plenty more jobs you can do during the holiday season, to tie you down until recruiting season starts up again.
Let’s talk about some examples of how you can earn some money.
My friend Joe has been unemployed for several weeks after leaving his sales job due to organizational restructuring.
What I like about him is his positive attitude towards life.
When I asked him what he was doing, he said; “I drive Uber now to keep my cash flowing right away. It’s just a transition period for me until something else comes along.”
Acknowledging that you are in a period of transition requires courage, strength, and faith in your ability.
Interestingly, Uber driving has been a popular method for many people, including some of my friends, to earn some money if they have an Uber-compliant car.
As a family man, Joe is motivated because he has bills to pay.
Joe’s main problem was that his car was not fuel efficient. His profit margin wasn’t that great after paying fuel and commissions.
You have to find ways to increase your profit margin so you can take home more cash.
I suggested that he look into a private carrier and local courier arrangements where he deals directly with his customers. By doing so, your profit margins can be higher with the added benefit of a regular income stream.
There is no shortage of busy or time-strapped parents who are willing to pay someone to drop off or pick up their school-age children from their homes. Joe might consider becoming a private transporter for school children in addition to driving Uber.
However, you need to think about long-term commitment, especially when you find your next job or permanent job.
Between school drop-off and pick-up times, in addition to driving Uber, you might also consider transporting seniors or those without cars to grocery shopping or appointments (eg, medical, social, etc.).
With a regular group of clients, you can increase your cash flow over time, while looking for a permanent job.
I also suggested that he consider becoming a local courier service provider for lawyers, accountants, stores, etc. operating in the community. This is where you could link directly with these companies to deliver documents, packages, and same-day delivery products to customers.
In fact, Joe received a call from one of his business acquaintances about his availability to rush a rug to a customer.
Alternatively, you could also become a driver for courier marketplaces (platform) like Roadie or Zoom2U that connects customers and independent courier drivers, similar to Uber that connects riders and drivers.
Not forgetting UberEATS, my friend might also consider becoming a driver for this market. UberEATS is another way of getting food to people by independent drivers similar to Domino’s Pizza delivery.
unexpected things happen
While I was writing this article, I received this text message from another friend; “Yesterday I saw your article about business on the internet. I just had back surgery a couple of weeks ago. I’m on bed rest now for a couple of months so I’m out of work so I was wondering about your article about business on the Internet. Can you please leave me?” to know.”
We all have health issues like my friend who texted me. He is unable to work for two months and has to take unpaid leave during this recovery period. Like Joe, this friend is desperately looking for something he can do to earn money at home while recovering from surgery. He is thinking about electronic commerce. I suggested that he consider being an internet marketer due to his circumstances and it is only for a short term during the vacation period.
An internet marketer sells other people’s products and services and earns a commission on each sale. You can sell products on Amazon or eBay.
There are so many YouTube videos to show you the hows of internet marketing, how to sell on Amazon and eBay and how to market the products. With technology, there is no shortage of resources to help anyone start their business online or how to make money with a computer and internet connection.
The bottom line
There is no shortage of money making ideas when there is a desire to succeed. It requires thinking outside the box, a different mindset. It requires flexibility and a strong why, or a strong reason to earn money in addition to a regular job.