Easy as pie? Not so much when it comes to job hunting during the holidays. Whether you are currently employed but wanting to look for a new job or are unemployed looking for a job, this time of year can be frustrating on the career front. BUT, it doesn’t have to be! Here are some areas to focus on during the holidays so you can feel more CONFIDENT in your career search and less frustrated during a time a year that’s about gratitude and joy...NOT doubt and discouragement.

BE PATIENT- If it’s taking a long time to hear back from companies after submitting an application/resume or after an initial interview, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of consideration. Scheduling interviews during the holidays gets more challenging when trying to manage people’s schedule. So be prepared to interview with very little notice and be open (and ready!) for phone interviews.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME- Take this slower recruiting period to refine your job search and thoroughly research companies s...

According to a LinkedIn survey released this year, 80% of recruiters say soft skills are increasingly important to a company’s success and therefore becoming more and more desired when considering candidates.

So, what are soft skills? These are the qualities that determine how well we interact with others. They include skills like attitude, communication, creative problem solving/thinking and teamwork. The most in-demand soft skill according to over 5,000 recruiting professionals? Creativity. Simply defined in the survey as “solving problems in original ways—a skill that machines can’t easily replicate.”

While hard skills certainly matter (think education, what you learn through work experience or training); more and more companies are realizing just how important soft skills are. Virtually every job has some form of people engagement and being able to harmoniously and effectively interact with others has a significant positive impact on a company’s ability to overcome challenges, na...