If you have career or job search question you would like answered on this blog, click here to Ask Brian.
Reader Rebecca from Virginia writes:
“Several people are telling me that I should put my job search off until the new year. They say no hiring gets done around the holidays. But I can’t wait a month for monetary reasons. Is this true?”
Brian answers after the break…
Brian sayz:
It’s true that hiring slows down during the holidays. Think about it, all work kind of slows down this time of year. This is equally true, by the way, for job searching in general. December has always been the slowest month at ResumeWriters.com. I guess people have other things on their mind this time of year and they put off certain activities until they have more time to focus.
However, the end of the year can be a great time to job search for several reasons:
- January is the busiest month for hiring and job searching. If you begin the process now, you can get in ahead of the rush.
- The holidays are a great time to network. Think of all the office parties and holiday parties in general you’re going to attend. This is probably the most social time of year for interacting with big groups of co-workers and friends. Use this time wisely to get your name and job search goals out there.
- The holiday season is a key time for temporary workers. If you need a job now because you need money fast, consider temping. In certain industries, temp jobs are plentiful, and you never know, it could always turn into something permanent.
- Even if there are less jobs posted this time of year, the ones that are posted are probably sorely needed, high priority positions. If, like you, the employer can’t wait until the new year to fill a vacancy, that probably means you can get hired right away.
- Even if you have a hard time scheduling an interview in December, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get on the schedule. If you can line up an interview for your dream job now, don’t sweat about waiting a month. A scheduled interview is better than nothing.
In short, I admit that December is the toughest month for job search. But for Peet’s sake, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try! In fact, for all the reasons listed above, job searching during the holidays can be to your advantage strategically. While everyone else is slacking off, you can be kicking your job search into high gear.
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12 responses so far ↓
1 Job Search: Build a Career, Job Listings, Employment » Ask Brian - Job Search During the Holidays? // Nov 29, 2007 at 2:46 pm
[…] Job Search Tips and Resources had some great ideas on this topic.You can read a snippet of the post here.If you have career or job search question you would like answered on this blog, click here to Ask Brian. Reader Rebecca from Virginia writes:. “Several people are telling me that I should put my job search off until the new year. … […]
2 Don’t Put Off Job Search Until After the Holidays [Job Search] · TechBlogger // Nov 30, 2007 at 11:34 am
[…] the year, so getting your resume out there can help put you ahead of the pack. Photo by Photo-Mojo. Ask Brian - Job Search During the Holidays? […]
3 Willy // Nov 30, 2007 at 11:40 am
It’s interesting, job search traffic plummets between Thanksgiving and Christmas to it’s lowest point of the year, but then starts on a huge upward trend between Christmas and New Year’s, where it reaches its highest point of the year. So the low and the high for the year happen in the same week, which is really intriguing. I wrote a post on this phenomenon at http://www.onedayonejob.com/blog/end-of-year-job-search/
I think job seekers should probably stick it out through the holidays, and it might even be a good time to get your resume out. That way it will be at the top of the pile when recruiters resume hiring in January. The problem is that a lot of the time there won’t be a lot of job openings to apply for.
You do a great job of analyzing the situation and I think your advice to keep on truckin’ is really good.
4 Don’t Put Off Job Searches Until After the Holidays [Job Search] · TechBlogger // Nov 30, 2007 at 12:50 pm
[…] the year, so getting your resume out there can help put you ahead of the pack. Photo by Photo-Mojo. Ask Brian - Job Search During the Holidays? […]
5 Adam // Nov 30, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I’ve actually had great luck job searching during the holidays. I really feel like it’s a case of, there’s less competition.
6 beth // Nov 30, 2007 at 2:38 pm
every time ive taken a temp job, i went on to get hired full time. last time was last christmas.
7 Mike Thomas // Nov 30, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I agree that the Holiday Season is a gold rush for job seekers (as I wrote on The Daily Machete: http://machete.wildjobsafari.com/2007/11/28/adding-value-holiday-season-gold-rush.aspx). Many companies run their fiscal years concurrent with the calendar year. That means a lot of interviewing will be done now so they can bring new employees on board in January when they have a fresh batch of funds. Put the pedal to the metal, friends! There’s jobs to be gotten!
8 Mployd Beta: A new job site for everyone | ajb{log}: learn something new each day // Nov 30, 2007 at 8:27 pm
[…] to thejobbored, “January is the busiest month for hiring and job searching. If you begin the process now, […]
9 MN Headhunter/Paul DeBettignies // Dec 2, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Of course this is a good time of year to find a job. Some companies have hiring budgets to use up or lose, others will hire in a month and you have already introduced yourself.
Some HR and hiring managers may be difficult to find, end of year meetings, but they likely have time to speak and/or meet with you.
Do the opposite of what others are doing and you will get noticed.
10 Job Searching During the Holidays? « Job & Career News // Dec 5, 2007 at 1:55 pm
[…] your job search during the holidays? So was another jobseeker, who submitted the question to Brian at the TheJobBored. Check out what he had to say about […]
11 Стоит ли искать работу в конце года? by Lifehacker // Dec 7, 2007 at 6:09 am
[…] Job Search During the Holidays? [The Job Bored] — Вэ […]
12 Taking A Week Off | TheJobBored // Dec 24, 2007 at 12:36 pm
[…] we’ve mentioned in the past, January is the number one month for Job Search, so we’ll be back posting everything […]
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