Many people looking for work decide to take a rest during the holidays. This is an understandable temptation, but not a wise move. As other career professionals have pointed out, you should not buy into this mindset. Career Coach Jay Block shares his reasons in Don’t Believe the Myth: Get Hired Over the Holidays while Debra Donston-Miller’s article on Ladders.com gives a welcome point of view from the employer perspective. Master Career Development Professional Barry Davis expounds on this topic in his blog titled, Tis the Season… to Keep Active!
Since others have shared some useful information already, I will keep this short and to the point by summarizing the good advice and adding my own two cents. My “first cent” is to prove the point that people do get hired this time of year. Just this past week, one of my clients had not one, but two job offers. Here’s the rest…
1) Play the odds – Since many people do believe this myth, you will have less competition in this season. Why not use that to your benefit? If you knew your target company received a substantially lower amount of resumes in a certain month, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make contact in that month?
2) Tis the season to connect – There are a multitude of social events that only happen this time of year. You should take advantage of these opportunities to reconnect with people you don’t normally see and meet new folks outside of your regular social circles. Most contacts leading to a job are not from your most inner circle, but from the wider spectrum of connections you develop by following leads. Holiday events can be a great way to make those connections in person.
3) Slower or faster? Or both? – In terms of timing, the pace of the hiring process may be slower than normal because of the challenge of trying to coordinate interviews around staff vacations. However, in some cases it may be faster than normal. Often companies are eager to fill a position ASAP to maintain productivity. Some positions must be filled by the end of the year or the department will have to forgo the funding for it. And of course for certain industries, like retail or shipping, this time of year often creates a need for jobs that only exist right now (proving yourself in these seasonal jobs can sometimes lead to something else). In all of these cases, the holiday season will not hinder the company’s need to fill the position. Present yourself as the solution to that need.
4) Giving hearts or stressed out minds? – Most articles say that people are more friendly and willing to help at this time of year. I would agree that is true in many cases. However, some people are very overwhelmed and busy during the holidays and therefore returning a call from you may (understandably) not be their number one priority. Even with good intentions, they may lose your information or just honestly forget to return your call. If this happens, try at least once more after January 1st. Leave a second message wishing them a happy new year and of course provide your contact information one more time. This might be just the reminder they need.
So what’s stopping you? Go ahead. Make that call you have been putting off. Contact that supervisor you haven’t talked to in years. Wish that long lost friend a happy holiday season. For the next few weeks, you have a great excuse to make these connections, so make the most of it. Good luck connecting and happy holidays!
