Keep Your Foot on the Job Search Gas Pedal During the Holiday Season

Frequently I hear from job seekers as we enter November, “I don’t expect much will happen during the next couple months because of the holidays.” Quite the contrary, November and December can be very active months. So I caution you, do not take the foot off the gas pedal during the holiday season.

There exists a notion that many employers do hire over the holidays; personal lives may get more hectic this time of year, but oftentimes within companies the hiring managers actually get a little breathing space to think about staffing and even conduct interviews. Many companies are working on staffing decisions for 2015 and putting the pieces in place for 2015 projects and want to bring new people on board before then.

In fact, in some ways, the holidays are a great time to find a job.

Here are several reasons why you should ramp up your job search during the holiday season:

1.     Others that could potentially be your competition could be easing up on their job search. Many other people are taking a break from their job search this time of year, which makes it a great time to position yourself against the competition.

2.     The holidays are an excellent networking time. You’ll probably attend more parties, open houses, happy hours, and fellowship events. All of these events are opportunities to expand your network. And a huge network is what every job seeker needs.

3.     The holidays are a perfect time to reconnect with others. This is the time of the year when it’s natural to get back in touch with neighbors, former neighbors, former bosses and co-workers, people you met at industry conferences. A greeting from you puts you back at the top of their radar.

4.     It shows you're serious about finding the right position. Continuing to job hunt over the holidays shows a potential employer that you're diligent and serious about locating your next opportunity.

5.     Companies may have money in this year’s budget that they need to use. Some employers are looking for ways to utilize the rest of their hiring budgets for the year.

6.     Maintaining your job search helps you keep your momentum. Stopping a job search and then trying to pick it back up later only means you’ve lost the wheels in motion. Everything takes time. Networking is about keeping the message moving. It just takes that much more effort to try and make up for lost time and lost momentum.

7.     Finally, January is often one of the biggest hiring months of the year. The interviews for January hires take place in November and December. 

Scot Dickerson, CPC
President

Capstone Search