Ah, it's that time of year again. Countless hours of holiday music on the radio, holiday parties that may look like some variant of this GIF, and woe is you, you're looking for a new job.
I've been in the Technical Recruitment industry in Seattle for nearly 20 years, and I can't tell you the number of times I've heard the following: "Man, it's slow this time of year; I'm going to stop searching until January."
I cringe every time I hear this, as I can tell you from professional experience that this is a false presumption, and unfortunately a self fulfilling prophecy.
Here are 3 quick reasons why you should be "on it" for your holiday job search:
1) Seasonal hiring
There is certainly the push in retail to find associates to work the sales floor, but that is not what I'm referring to. Many organizations, especially non-profits are granted budgets to hire on an annual basis. Those "buckets" of funding are usually divided between contract vs. full time hiring budgets, and guess what? If they aren't spent by the end of the year (by hiring YOU) they lose them next year! No better way to create urgency by landing a job before Dec. 31st.
2) Apathy
Any (good) recruiter will tell you, December can be a great time to get to work. However, I hear the same apathetic mindset from my peers: "it's slow this time of year". Tell that to the 5 job seekers that have had final interviews with us this week and next! What the recruiter is really saying is that THEY are slowing down, and checking out mentally. Don't let that deter you! Work with folks that show the same kind of urgency, and you can capitalize on other job seekers/recruiters that are "taking a nap" for the holidays, and beat the competition.
3) Hiring life cycle
When do you suppose a majority of new budgets come out for hiring and projects? That's right, Q1/January, it doesn't take a CFO to figure out that most companies follow the calendar year for their fiscal year. Here's a great snippet from a CFO quoted on Monster.com on this topic:
The big months for hiring are January and February, and late September and October," says Testa. "Job seekers who make contact right at the start of these cycles have the best chance of being hired."
With all the above in mind, here's to a very productive job searching holiday season, and starting the new year with a great new role!