Hi Chris!

By all means, DON’T stop your job search now. The holiday season can be one of the most important times of the year to focus on your job search. Consider the following:

• Competition decreases, but there are still many opportunities – Even though some companies do slow their hiring, many others are continuing to hire. Some have to fill their targeted headcount before the end of the year. Others are eager to start new projects quickly at the start of the new year, and want to have manpower in place before then. As a result, there is at least as much hiring in December as in most other months. However, since so many job seekers believe the myth that hiring stops this time of year, they remove themselves from the competition, therefore improving YOUR odds of getting hired.
• There are more networking opportunities – Holiday parties are plentiful, including ones organized by employers, professional associations, volunteer organizations, neighborhood groups, churches, and friends. Each of these events gives you an opportunity to meet new people and make your contacts aware of your job search in a casual, low pressure way. After the holidays, you can follow up with them in a more focused business-like manner.
• Hiring managers have more time to meet – Business travel and project deadlines typically slow down at the end of the year. You will have a better chance now to connect with decision makers, and get on their calendars for casual coffee, informal networking, and information meetings.
• Holiday cards increase your visibility – A simple card can remind your network that you are thinking of them. That way they will be thinking of you when they hear of job openings.
• January is the busiest hiring month – Hiring ramps up rapidly at the start of the new year. Hiring managers are likely to first consider candidates they have recently met, before posting job ads and soliciting resumes. You want to be the person they think of when the new year begins. Making contact with them now can pay off in just a few weeks.

So, Chris, by all means enjoy the time with your family and friends, but don’t take time off from your job search. If you do it right, your campaign might result in the best Christmas present of all – a new job! Good luck, happy holidays, and may you have a prosperous New Year!

Job Coach Jeff