How many times have you tried looking for work or applying for a job but found yourself unemployed because companies are now winding down for the holiday season?

If you are 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 buying.

It’s generally known that hiring managers in most industries will start winding down recruitment and hiring tasks from November onwards until January or February when these tasks start to pick up again.

Here are some actions you can take.

Be flexible

The holiday season can be a great reason to reach out to friends and acquaintances. You can reconnect with people who you may have fallen out of contact with.

Networking is a great way to seek out those jobs that are not advertised. Whilst some industries will definitely wind down for Christmas, there will be others that will require more staff. Seek them out.

If you do get a call, be prepared to be interviewed at unusual times. Be flexible to the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s busy holiday schedule.

Philanthropic organizations are active during the holiday period. Volunteering in these organizations can be a great way for you to network, gain additional skills and fill the gap that unemployment might otherwise leave on your resume.

As you would expect, people want to take time off during the holiday season. Employers may be actively looking for casual or temporary staff to fill these gaps left vacated by employees going on holidays. A casual, temporary or part-time job can be a great way to get your foot into 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 part-time and temporary jobs available in retail and hospitality. The retail work includes sales, customer service, merchandising, stocking, and gift-wrapping. In hospitality, hotels, restaurants, and caterers need additional staff to run and manage their year-end events and parties.

Finding creative ways to make money

There are many more jobs you can do during the holiday season, to tie you over until the recruitment season starts off 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 an organizational restructure.

What I like about him is his positive attitude to life.

When I asked him what he was doing, he said; “I am Uber driving now to maintain my immediate cash flow. It’s only a transition period for me until something else comes up.”

Acknowledging that he’s in a transition period takes courage, strength and a belief in his capability.

Interestingly Uber driving has been a popular method for many people including some of my friends to earn some money if they have a car that meets Uber’s requirements.

As a family man, Joe is motivated because he has bills to pay.

The main problem for Joe was that his car wasn’t fuel efficient. His profit margin wasn’t that great after paying for fuel and commissions.

He has to find ways to increase his profit margin so that he can take home more cash.

I suggested for him to look into a private transporter and local courier arrangements where he deals directly with his clients. By doing so, his profit margins may be higher with the added benefit of a regular income stream.

There’s no shortage of time-poor or busy parents who are willing to pay someone to drop off or pick up their school-age children from their homes. Joe could consider becoming a private transporter for school-age children, in addition to his Uber driving.

However, he needs to think about the long-term commitment especially when he finds his next permanent employment or job.

In between school drop off and pick up times, in addition to Uber driving, he could also consider transporting older or people who do not have cars to do their shopping or going for their appointments (e.g., medical, social, etc.).

With a regular pool of clients, he can build up his cash flow over time, whilst looking for a permanent job.

I also suggested that he considers becoming a local courier service provider to lawyers, accountants, shops, etc. operating in the community. This is where he could link up directly with these businesses to deliver same day delivery documents, parcels, and goods for customers.

In fact, Joe got a call from one of his business acquaintance about his availability to do an urgent delivery of a carpet to a customer.

Alternatively, he could also become a driver for courier marketplaces (platform) like Roadie or Zoom2U that connects customers and freelance courier drivers, similar to Uber connecting passengers and drivers.

Not forgetting UberEATS, my friend could also consider becoming a driver for this marketplace. UberEATS is another way to get food to people by freelance drivers similar to Domino’s Pizza delivery.

Unexpected things do happen

Whilst writing this article, I got this text message from another friend; “I saw your article yesterday regarding internet business. I just had my spine surgery couple of weeks ago now bed rest for a couple of months, so I am off work, so I was wondering regarding your article for internet business can you please let me know.”

We all have health challenges like my friend who sent me this text message. He cannot work for two months and he has to take unpaid leave during this recovery period. Like Joe, this friend is desperately looking for something he could do to earn money at home whilst he is recovering from surgery. He’s thinking about e-commerce. I suggested for him to look into being an internet marketer because of his circumstances and it’s only for a short-term during the holiday period.

An internet marketer sells other people’s products and services and makes a commission on each sale. He can sell products on Amazon or eBay.

There are so many YouTube videos to show him the how-to’s of internet marketing, how to sell on Amazon and eBay and how to market the products. With technology, there are no shortage of resources to help anyone with starting their online business or how to make money with a computer and internet connection.

The bottom-line

There’s no shortage of money making ideas when there’s 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 make money in addition to a normal job.

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