5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Take a Holiday From Your Job Search

Jennifer Fry
Careerminds Consultant

 The holidays are a busy time of year– I doubt anyone would argue with that. Be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, the New Year, etc., those several weeks during the end of November until the beginning of January can seem like a blur, but in fact, that time between eating the turkey and watching the ball drop is part of the best time of year to find a job.
While that alone should be reason enough to keep you job search in gear this time of year, here a few more reasons that might make you want to reconsider taking a holiday during the holidays.

1. Your competitors may be taking a break. So you know better than to take time off from your search, but do all those other job seekers? Many people believe the holidays are not a good time to apply for jobs, or they simply decide to give it a rest while they’re busy with holiday obligations, but that only makes it a better time for you to keep your own momentum going.
2. Hiring managers are available. Companies’ work loads tend to lighten up as the holiday season approaches, which gives you a great opportunity to introduce yourself via e-mail or over the phone while the hiring manager isn’t swamped with other duties.
3. Networking opportunities are plentiful. You know those holiday parties that seem to be filling up your schedule all month? You can use those to your advantage by treating them as networking events. Be sure to talk to new and established contacts, sharing your career transition story without coming off as desperate or pushy– everyone’s there to have a good time, too, remember. Also, holiday cards are a great tool for keeping in touch with all of your contacts.
4. Company budgets may allow for more hiring. At the end of the year, corporate budgets are being spent to ensure that every dime goes to good use before the new year and new budget roll in. That bit of surplus may be just what a company needs to afford to make a new hire, and that new hire could very well be you. Additionally, budget surplus or not, employers often like to have their hiring in order before the new year begins so that, once the holidays are over, work can resume without too much interruption.
5. People are in the holiday spirit. Most folks are filled with holiday cheer, and that includes employers and hiring managers. Why not use that to your benefit? This time of year, while people are just a bit more laid back, try to go easy on the hard pitch and stick to more personal, casual conversation to make a new networking connection.

While the holidays seem like the perfect time of year to give yourself a well-deserved break, keep in mind that they are also the perfect time of year to find a new job. You don’t need to devote your entire December to the job search, but make sure to take time out between holiday shopping, gift wrapping, party-going and family dinner preparation to send some e-mails, make a few phone calls and write out some holiday cards to more than just family and friends. You can beat the rush of newly-resolved job seekers in the new year by staying on track while everyone else is taking a break.

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Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.