Winding Down

Most years, September is the month when companies crunch their numbers to determine whether they can hire a tech writer to do some quick and dirty short-term work. The resulting companies with a few spare dollars translates into job postings in October/November.

Come December 1 though, the job market takes a real nose-dive. There's no winding down slowly. Instead, you see a sudden drop in postings. Sure enough, this morning the job boards featured only re-postings of now-defunct positions.

Given this annual cycle, what's an unemployed tech writer to do? While you may find it near impossible to net a job in December, there are steps you can take to greatly increase your chances of being employed come January.

1. Devote your time to building/solidifying your network. Touch base with recruiters, tweet/blog away, and keep in constant communication with contacts on social networking sites.
2. Use this "down-time" to polish up your cover letter(s)/resume(s).
3. Learn that new skill/software that you've been meaning to pick up.
4. Avoid overlooking jobs based on their job title. Many positions feature funky titles slapped onto industry-standard descriptions.

In short, it's precisely when you're less busy with sending off resumes and following up that you can set the foundation for a great job in the new year.

Happy job hunting everyone!