Holiday Job Searching. Give Yourself A Gift This Year.

As Thanksgiving leftovers dwindle, job seekers wonder if opportunities for the year are dwindling, too.

While in some cases businesses do slow down in December, others are ramping up. Closing the year with maximizing deductions is a goal for many, so often companies aim to get new hires in place to be able to write off recruiting expenses in the previous year.

If you’re in the middle of a search, or considering starting one, this may be an ideal time to put in some extra effort for these reasons:

• The majority of job seekers view December as a “punt” month, and pull back on hunting activities. This means fewer candidates contending for opportunities, so those who do pursue openings stand a better chance of being considered. Improve your chances even further when you apply to online postings by sending off a hardcopy submission too, with a holiday card tucked inside for good measure.
• You will likely have extra time to devote to your search. Foregoing another holiday movie in exchange for investing a few hours to research prospective employers, update your resume, and expand your network will position you for better success at the start of 2018.
• This is the season of goodwill. If you’re aiming to strengthen bonds with key decision makers, they may give you more consideration right now. Send LinkedIn requests to those individuals with a personalized message such as, “I’ve been following your company and am impressed with the impact you make. I’d like to add you to my network on LinkedIn. Thank you for considering my request, and happy holidays!” The average success rate for connect requests on LinkedIn is about 50%, and could be even higher with this approach.
• Former colleagues would be happy to hear from you, and they’re your best source of job possibilities anyway. About 70% of opportunities will be filled through networks, so reconnect with yours by sending holiday greetings or meeting up for eggnog.

And who knows? When you blow your party horn to welcome 2018, you may be celebrating a new job as well.