Why to keep the job hunt going at Christmas time
Here are just a few reasons not to quit the job search leading up to Christmas.
For one thing, if there’s a role open, there’s a person in the company looking to fill it, no matter what time of the year. People don’t magically cease hiring towards the end of the year despite popular belief. In fact, most companies would rather interview and place a person who will be ready to start in the new year. This ensures they are prepared for the year to come.
Secondly, it’s at this time of the year you can get ahead of the game. A lot of people prefer to stop their job search at this time which means there is less competition. You’ll also beat the influx of people who begin applying again around January. January is a month saturated with job seekers, it’s better not to get lost in the crowd.
Thirdly, it’s often easier to get a hold of people around the end of the year because projects are usually coming to an end and everyone is trying to wrap their work up. This means, they’re not too preoccupied and will feel more comfortable juggling a few more tasks, such as interviewing you.
Lastly, don’t lose momentum. If you put the job hunt on pause, even for a month, it’ll be harder to get back into it come January. And as mentioned it’s harder than ever in January to stand out amongst all other applications.
Christmas is also a great time to network, and whilst this may just be one part of the job search, a season's greetings message or InMail might help you get onto people’s radars. If you organise to catch up with someone as things quiet down, you never know what progress could happen in your job search.