With the holidays in full-swing and many workers taking some well-earned time off, many job seekers think that December is a dead spot for hiring. This is simply not the case. December is actually one of the best months to look for a job. Here are four reasons not to pause your search during the holiday season.
Reason 1: Companies are finalizing projects and budgets for next year, and they may have room to hire… immediately.
What This Means for You: Companies who are starting new initiatives or expanding their services want to hit the ground running in the New Year. Because budgets get approved towards the end of the year, you may see companies hiring in December or January, so now is the perfect time to get in, before the flood of applicants once they post ads.
What This Means for You: During most of the year, Hiring Managers have assistants who screen calls for them, but during the holidays you may find those assistants are on vacation and the manager is answering their own calls or has somebody screening who is more likely to pass your call through to them. Even if some managers are also on vacation, some aren’t, so that makes it the perfect time to get on the phone and start dialing for a job. Just be sure you’re prepared and know what you will say if you actually get through.
Reason 3: Fewer people applying for jobs means less competition for the jobs you want.
What This Means for You: Due, in part, to the misconception that companies don’t hire in December, studies have shown that there are less people applying for jobs during the holidays. Fewer applications means less competition for a job. It also means that Hiring Managers won’t have their typical talent pool for interviews, meaning that they may be willing to alter their typical hiring practices to bring in different types of candidates they may not normally see.
Reason 4: Hiring managers have more time to read resumes, and really get to know you.
What This Means For You: With the average Hiring Manager spending only six seconds on each resume (if it even gets by the ATS system), you may feel like Hiring Managers aren’t getting a chance to get to know your “soft skills” that make you an exceptional candidate. With less people around the office, Hiring Managers may have a little extra time to dedicate to the hiring process during the holiday season. And with less resumes to go through, they may actually take the time to focus on more than just the skills outlined in the job description.
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