Why Bother with the Holiday Job Hunt?

Less Competition – High spirits

If you are thinking the holidays are a good time to take a break, so are other job seekers. If you press on and keep searching during the holidays, then you are going to benefit from less competition. The very fact that we can dedicate a whole newsletter to holiday job searching is good evidence that the popular belief is that everything stops during the holidays. Many job seekers believe this and some of them will take a break. So, don’t be one of them and increase your odds of landing a job.

Another idea that factors into the mindset that “It’s the holidays, nobody’s hiring” is the fact that job searching is hard work and it takes a mental and physical toll on the job seeker. Job seekers are looking for a good reason to take a break from the stress and strain of hitting the pavement and the phone every day. Yet, during the holidays, spirits are high and people everywhere are more compassionate. Take advantage of the spirit of the holidays and press on with your job search. You may find people even more willing to assist you as you manage your job search.

End of year hiring - Decision makers stick around

Some companies have positions they need and want to fill before year’s end. Why? The money for the position might disappear once that ball drops on December 31 st! Also, just because the holidays are here, it does not mean competition has slowed down for businesses. Be there to capitalize on the needs of organizations as they get ready to gear up for a new year of success.

As organizations prepare for a new year, there are many things to be done in order to close out the current year. Often times, key decision makers have to limit their travel during the holidays just as many of their employees are taking time off. Why? The key decision makers are responsible for many end of year reports, budget projections, and other high priority tasks. Therefore, these decision makers limit their holiday travel. The result? The people who can hire you are in the office so you want to be sure to be there, too!

Sources consulted for this article:

“Don’t Believe the Myths” by Susan M. Heathfield
http://humanresources.about.com/cs/jobopportunities/qt/holidayjobs.htm
Date accessed: 10-17-07