Executive Job Search Benefits During the Holiday Season

Although the holidays are traditionally about taking time to celebrate, executing a job search during this time of year can be very beneficial.

Often, professionals make the mistake of avoiding job search strategies over the holidays, assuming that everyone else is doing the same. It isn’t true. There are still plenty of jobs that need to be filled and lots of companies searching for the right fit!

In addition to the abundance of seasonal jobs that appear (which can act as a springboard into other opportunities), there are several other good reasons that a holiday job search can reap rewards:

Competition may be less intense as many job seekers take ‘time off’ from their search. Take advantage of these lulls by continuing to apply to open roles during the holidays, working to get your resume seen – first.  An organization may desperately want to fill a role before the new year commences or a year-end budget closes.

This time of year is ripe with holiday social events where you can network and spread the word about your search and career requirements. Schedule plenty of time to attend events, both personal and professional, to mingle with a variety of people. You never know who may offer a lead or an opportunity. According to Jobvite, the vast majority of positions are filled through referrals; not job boards – so aim to secure a referral:

“Job boards have a .4% effectiveness and employee referrals have 5.2% effectiveness.”

The holidays are a great excuse to reconnect with contacts. Send out greeting cards or initiate contact with people you have worked with in the past or haven’t spoken to for some time. Find a creative way to let people know what you are searching for, slipping in your requirements during conversations and communications.

In addition, strengthen your LinkedIn profile and increase your connections; the site is a great place to engage and connect.

Finally, even if you don’t locate many opportunities, the holidays are an excellent time to prepare for the upcoming peak in job recruitment. This occurs when everyone returns to work in January – one of the busiest, and often most competitive, search times of the year.

A recent post by CNBC News shares that “hiring increases 30 percent in the first month of the year.”

Solicit the help of career professionals, get your career tools updated, and put a modern action plan into place for the upcoming year. You do not want to be caught unprepared (or slow out of the starting gate) when great opportunities are posted in January. According to recruiters and employers in this Monster post:

“Major hiring initiatives follow close on the heels of the holidays and summer. The big months for hiring are January and February, and late September and October…Job seekers who make contact right at the start of these cycles have the best chance of being hired.”

Looking for more advice on holiday job search? Check out my latest interview with LinkedIn: “Yes, you can land a job during the holidays.”