Did you know that December is one of the best months to look for a new job?
If you are very dissatisfied with your current one, and would like a change as soon as possible, I would advise to start your hunt and preparing for your next steps.
If you are thinking this is weird, I understand because I was also once like you; I thought that it is useless to continue job hunting in December.
After all, everybody is on holiday and no one is looking to hire, right?
My experience as a career coach has taught me that this is quite wrong!
December is one of the best months for job hunting, and here I will give you five reasons to help you better understand why:
There is Less Competition:
This means that there is more chance for you to stand out quicker. Many people are under the misconception that job hunting should come to a halt in December. What they don’t know is that since everybody else is also stopping, it automatically means less competition for the positions that you are coveting. This will increase your chances of getting hired since HR managers want to fill open positions sooner rather than later.
Networking Opportunity:
If you have been reading my articles for a while, you know by now that networking is a huge action to take if you want to advance your career. The holidays are full of social and work-related events where you get the chance to mingle with all sorts of people and meet highly positioned managers. So take all the networking opportunities that you can find and start mingling with others. You will never know what will come out of it. And if all else fails, at least you would have spent your time celebrating the festivities, and that is also a great way to end the year.
You have more free time:
There is usually less workload in December, which means that you have more time to concentrate on your job hunt and on preparing your next steps, which is known as career cushioning. Work during the holiday season is indeed slower than during the rest of the year, but this should not discourage you from looking for a new job and better opportunities. Simply because you also have less work and hence freer time to look for what is out there. You will have more time to prepare yourself should you land an interview and more flexibility in your schedule to attend last-minute interviews, a phenomenon that is quite common during the holidays, because almost everyone is on vacation.
Managers have better mindsets:
Since it is the holidays after all! This means that they are more open to new ideas and new candidates and are more likely to meet you halfway. They are more willing to keep an open mind than during the rest of the year, especially with new candidates who might be nervous.
Companies already have their objectives for the New Year set:
Many companies have already set their objectives and expectations for the New Year; whether it is launching a new product or opening up a new position that will help them move things forward. And that role might just be what you are looking for! When companies set their objectives they would want to meet them as soon as possible and would, therefore, start the hiring process immediately, which often means before the end of the year - in December.
These are the five most important reasons I shared for you to start your job hunting as soon as possible and continue it throughout the holiday season.
In my experience working as a professional career coach, many of my clients have been able to successfully find new jobs during the month of December.
This is why I advise you to continue your job hunt in order not to miss out on the chance you have been waiting for.