Happy Holidays! It’s a Great Time to Find a Job

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Conventional wisdom has it that the end of the year is the worst time to look for a job. Many view that Bermuda Triangle period from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years as a waste of time, since yearly budgets have already been spent and decision-makers and HR folks are out on vacation.

However, I’d like to propose that now is actually the best time to turn up the heat searching the job market.

There are a few reasons why:

  1. Most other job seekers are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for mid-January. That means you’ll have less competition.
  2. Despite the holidays, time keeps marching on. Budgets for the calendar year are about to end, but new ones are soon to begin, so departments have the green light to spend on hires.
  3. Not all corporate personnel go on vacation — at least not for 3-4 straight weeks. The people left in the office are still opening resumes, processing applications, and working to fill vacancies.
  4. You can take advantage of holiday parties for networking purposes. Don’t be handing out your cover letter, but do hand out your business card.

On the topic of networking, remember: talk to many different people, and be sure to ask about them before you tell them about yourself. Politely ask for their business cards in return, or remember key facts about the conversation and then jot them down later. That way, you can follow up at a later date with a relevant “nice to have met you” email.

Grab some eggnog and get your resume in shape. Call companies to schedule research interviews. Get out and meet people — because they know more people who may be able to help you.

It’s the end of the year, not the end of the road.

Ferris Kaplan is founder of Best Of You Resumes.

By Ferris Kaplan