Holidays can be magical for recruiters and job seekers -

Holidays can be magical for recruiters and job seekers - I love stories. Success stories are the best. Today, I am happy to share a magical story from my friend The Recruiting Animal. I dont know if Animal remembers this, but almost 2 years ago, we disagreed about something (I dont know what), and when we were finished with our email exchanges, he said I was invited to fight with him any time! Not being the fighting type, I havent taken him up on it yet! However, Animal was kind enough to share this story, which I hope will inspire some job seekers at this time of year. (He even sent the accompanying photo!) Im a headhunter and a few years ago I was looking for a Quality Control Supervisor. But this wasnt any ordinary QC Manager. This person would have no direct reports but needed to have a PhD in Chemistry and a strong background in fermented products, specifically yogurt. When I got the search I was told that there was no one in the country with the right background. Why they gave it to me, then, I dont know. In the end, we filled the job with a terrific yogurt man but in the course of the search I investigated a number of engineers who didnt have yogurt experience but worked in breweries. To get to some of them I had to go through one admin person. The problem was that she never picked up the phone and I didnt want to leave a message. So I called and called and you know when I got her? On December 24th. Christmas Eve. I wanted to knock off work but I was in a bind and against my better judgement I picked up the phone and, like a miracle, she did too. It was great. I could hear the party going on in the background, she was very friendly and she gave me all the info I needed. What a present for me. I told this story to someone recently and he scoffed at the notion that you have a good shot at reaching otherwise unavailable people during the holiday season. But Im not saying everybodys going to be there. Just that some people will. And those might be the people you want to talk to who never usually pick up their phones. When lots of people are away, however, theyre not as busy as usual and thats when they change their normal habits and thats when you have a chance to catch them. Nothing is life is certain. But if you want to get through to someone and youre not on a beach in Florida, whats stopping you from trying? Friends, it happened to me. And if it happened to me, it can happen to you too. Good luck. Learn more about Animal by following him on Twitter @animal (of course!)   and by visiting his website: http://www.recruitinganimal.com. However, he does admonish everyone to not follow if youre sensitive. Be sure to take a look at all the great advice from my colleagues: Part 1 My suggestions and a free ebook offer Part 2 Walter Akana Take care of yourself Part 3 Anita Bruzzese Stay ahead of the crowd Part 4 Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Unplug and embrace rest Part 5 Wendy Enelow Ideas for employed and unemployed job seekers Part 6 GL Hoffman Use time to research and prepare Part 7 Meghan M. Biro Use the holidays as a time for self assessment Part 8 Craig Fisher Recruiters dont ease up during the holidays neither should you Part 9 Ronnie Ann Take advantage of other peoples resolutions Part 10 Alison Doyle and Andrea Santiago Use parties and festive occassions to fuel your job search Part 11 Sharlyn Lauby Take your job search social Part 12 Karla Porter Be in it to win it Part 13 Lisa Caldas Kappesser Use emotional intelligence to overcome job search hurdles I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?   If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While youre at it, dont forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on FacebookId be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since were on the subject of doing something newAre you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.