4. 感谢曾经帮助过你找工作的所有人。要向联系人、招聘人员和你在求职过程中接触过的其他人表达感激，节日贺卡就是一种不错的方式；这样一来，如果他们手头有任何机会，马上就会想到你。

    5. 参加节日聚会。与职业相关的聚会尤其有益。E-Executives公司的尤索尔说：“我知道，许多招聘经理会到节日聚会上寻找人才。”德克萨斯州南湖市招聘公司A-List Solutions的总裁杰夫·利普舒尔茨补充道，一旦你去参加聚会，你的目标就应该是去见各种各样的人。其中可能就会有一位是招聘经理或招聘专员。

    6. 自己举办聚会。Job-Hunt.org金融行业求职专家芭芭拉·萨法尼建议：“节日期间邀请朋友们来家里，或者去一家餐厅、面包房或酒吧，一起用餐，吃点心，喝咖啡，或开怀畅饮。这是一种很有效又非常低调的方式，既可以锻炼自己的演讲能力，还能与老朋友重新联络感情。他们有可能为你的求职提供帮助。”

    说到聚会，《新年新工作！》一书中的一个章节提到了失业者怎样在聚会上应对让人难堪的话题。菲利斯·莫夫森是Job-Hunt.org一位擅长帮助“婴儿潮”一代求职的职业导师，他说：“针对你害怕的问题，不妨预先准备一些‘自我保护式答案’。”比如，如果有人说：“你失业了，真糟糕。你过得还好吧？”你可以这样回答：“我原先的工作很好，但能找一些新途径发挥我的才能，我非常兴奋。谢谢关心。”然后，把话题引到其他不太尴尬的话题。

    Job-Hunt.org的乔伊斯补充说：“不必遮遮掩掩，也不用道歉。你没做错任何事情，毕竟，失业只是临时状态。这并不是真正的你。”

    反馈：你是否在节日期间找到过工作，或在年终进行过招聘？欢迎评论。

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    4. Thank everyone who has helped you in your job search so far. Holiday cards are a great way to express appreciation to networking contacts, recruiters, and anyone else you've been in touch with about your job hunt -- and to stay on their radar screens for opportunities they may know about right now.

    5. Go to holiday parties. Professional-association get-togethers are particularly helpful. "I know hiring managers who go to holiday parties looking for people to hire," says e-Executives' Urschel. Once you get there, adds Jeff Lipschultz, president of Southlake, Texas, recruiting firm A-List Solutions, "make it your goal to meet all the people there. Any one of them could be a hiring manager or a recruiter."

    6. Throw your own party. "Invite friends for dinner, cookies, coffee, or a glass of holiday cheer at your home or in a restaurant, bakery, or bar," suggests Barbara Safani, Job-Hunt.org's finance industry job search expert. "This is a great, low-key way to practice your pitch and reconnect with people who may be able to help you with your search."

    Speaking of parties, New Year, New Job! includes a chapter about handling the party chitchat that tends to make unemployed people uncomfortable. "Prepare what I call 'Teflon' answers to questions you dread," says Phyllis Mufson, a career coach at Job-Hunt.org who specializes in helping Baby Boomers find new jobs. An example of a Teflon answer: If someone says, "It's so awful that you got laid off. How are you?" you can reply, "My old job was great, but I'm excited to find new ways to use my skills. Thanks for your concern." Then steer the conversation to less awkward ground.

    "Don't hide, and don't apologize," adds Job-Hunt.org's Joyce. "You've done nothing wrong, and anyway, unemployment is a temporary state. It's not who you are."

    Talkback: Have you ever found a job during the holiday season, or hired someone at year-end? Leave a comment below.