8 Reasons to Job Search During the Holidays

The majority of job seekers believe companies stop hiring during the holiday season. Most job seekers will begin moving into a hibernation mode, and plan to wait until after the holidays have passed to relaunch their job search. This can be a serious mistake as this holiday season is actually one of the best times to search for a new career opportunity.

Here are eight reasons why you should continue to move forward in your job search during the latter days of November and December.

1. Since most job seekers put their job search on hold, that’s good news for you! This means your competition is drastically lowered and your chances of landing interviews skyrockets. There will never be another time of the year when competition is so low.

2. At this time of the year, people feel less stressed in their jobs and are in a festive spirit. Busy professionals and executives are more available for exploratory meetings with job candidates and more eager to find time in their schedules for business meetings, networking, and interviews. Moreover, executives are typically in the office more so than other times of the year.

3. This time of the year equals greater opportunities for socializing and networking. Take advantage of all event gatherings. Establish new relationships, get reacquainted with family members, touch base up with former colleagues, etc. Briefly discuss your career with people during these networking opportunities, and be sure to follow up with each person you meet. Remember briefly discuss your career and/or job search – do not spend more than two or three minutes on this subject. After all, no one attends a party or event to listen to the details of someone’s job search.

4. You may find opportunities to volunteer during this time of the year. Volunteering is an excellent way to meet new people. In concert, this is an outstanding time of the year to donate your time and resources to worthy organizations and the people they help.

5. Plant seeds for the future. The relationships you build during this time period may be critical to the job search success in 2007.

6. Professionals will continue to change jobs, earn promotions, retire, and more during November and December. Managers will still look for an ideal candidate to replace poorly performing professionals. Hiring needs never end, they may taper, but the need for professionals never stops, not matter the date on the calendar.

7. Hiring managers and recruiters have a sense of urgency related to staffing at this time of the year. They do not want to begin the new year with a staffing deficit. The want to be ramped up to meet new business opportunities January 2.

8. Be available and flexible during the holidays. Would you be willing to interview for a job in the last few days of December? I know several people who have been available for interviews at Christmas time and even flew across the country for interviews – and they received a job offer!