Career Resources

Career Resources

Why the Holidays Are the Perfect Time for Your Job Search

Posted November 25, 2014 & filed under Job Search

Why the Holidays Are the Perfect Time for Your Job Search

The Holidays are finally here! It’s time to celebrate right with family and friends and…still keep up the job search? Though your first instinct may be to hang up your job search along with your stockings, there are serious advantages to searching for a new job in between all the festivities.

The Competition Is Less Aggressive

The hectic nature of the Holiday seasons makes many job seekers want to take a little break. Some convince themselves that hiring drops off until the New Year. Others just want some uninterrupted R&R for all their hard work.

Regardless of the rationale, those who do drop out create better odds for those who remain on the hunt.

Hiring Doesn’t Take a Holiday

The need to hire doesn’t stop with the Holidays. Client projects roll onward. Internal operations continue to function. Even if the workload eases off a little, there are typically new projects to prepare for in the New Year.

Employers looking to get ahead of the rush will be searching now. In fact, December and November are some of the busiest months for the General Employment team.

It’s Hard to Restart after You’ve Stopped

Have you ever flubbed on a diet, giving yourself a cheat day that careened out of control? That’s the risk you run by putting your job search on hiatus.

It’s much harder to restart a habit when it’s been brought to a screeching halt. Even if you decrease the frequency of your job applications, it’s better than stopping completely.

However, those who press onward tend to see the best results.

Mix Business with Pleasure (a.k.a. Network!)

Holiday parties are the perfect time to network. People are typically in high spirits. You’ll mingle with out-of-towners and people from other industries. It’s a great way to learn about new and exciting opportunities.

When networking at parties, it’s best to keep things light. Don’t dredge up the negative. Instead, find out what they love about their career and see what you can do to help them move forward.

Bottom Line:

The Holiday season isn’t the time to slow down your job search. Opportunities can be bountiful if you look and a new job could be the best gift you give yourself during the Holiday season.

by James Walsh