Maybe you think you can’t get a job in December. Nothing’s happening now, and you’re entitled to take a break, right? Well, you might be entitled to a short break, but employers do hire during the holidays. Things are definitely happening.
So take a little time off to take a breath and recharge, but don’t take a 4-week vacation from your job search now.
You may not realize that the people who are hired in January are those who actively networked and just plain worked at it in November and December. Recruiters are working now to identify candidates for January.
The holidays are actually a great time to reconnect with your network and make new contacts. It’s a great time to position yourself in front of and connect with recruiters and hiring decision makers at your target companies. Because so many others are putting their search aside until January, there’s less competition for their time right now.
There are plenty of things you can be doing to keep your search moving forward or get started on your search, if you’re thinking about a career transition.
Online job search expert and publisher of the top online employment portal Job-Hunt.org, Susan P. Joyce, offered a smart interviewing and networking tip in her “Holiday Hope!” article — use the holidays as an ice breaker:
“The common ‘problem’ of ‘surviving’ the year-end holidays can help you establish rapport in an interview. Even if it’s just complaining about the holiday crowds or being too busy, discussing the holidays is usually a natural topic. It’s also an easy way to break through the awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time in an interview or networking event, and establishing common ground.”
For more advice on leveraging this time of year to accelerate your job search, see my Executive Career Brand post, Taking a Holiday Vacation From Executive Job Search?
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A compilation of some of my best blog posts on executive job search, branding and online reputation management, Executive Branding and the New Rules of C-level Job Search.
