6 Reasons Why the Holiday Season is the Best Time to Look for a Job

The United States holiday season starts on the Monday before Thanksgiving and ends, typically, on January 2nd. The vast majority of job seekers put off applying to positions during this time thinking that their resume won’t get much attention. These people are wrong. In fact, the holiday season is one of the better times of the year to find new work. Here are the top 6 reasons why…

The holiday season provides increased opportunity for networking

Between work parties (yours, your spouse/partner/boyfriend/girlfriend), neighborhood open houses, family gatherings and even kid’s school events, the holidays are (maybe) the best time of the year to network for a new job.

It doesn’t matter if you are the primary invitee or the “plus one”. Any event with more than one person you don’t know is a networking event. Just make sure your Elevator Pitch is on point before your next event!

There is limited competition

It’s no secret that a lot of people take time off during the holidays. It’s even less of a secret that people tend to put off their job search until after the holiday season. With fewer people applying to jobs, your resume has a better chance of being read. Even better, to those hiring managers who are working through the holiday season, they will see you as a tenacious person who probably has a strong work ethic.

More flexibility with interview scheduling

With more people out of the office, recruiters and hiring managers have more flexibility in scheduling interviews. If you are applying during the holiday season, be sure that you are prepared to interview on short notice!

Hiring managers often have more time to read resumes and conduct interviews

With more people out of the office, hiring managers often push back big projects until the new year when they have more staff. This, of course, gives them more time to read and review resumes.

Companies often have a clearer idea of their upcoming budgets

Many companies end their fiscal year on December 31st. With new budgets going into effect on January 1st, a lot of employers start their recruitment pipelines around Thanksgiving.

What are you waiting for?

Make sure your resume is looking good, that you are prepared to answer interview questions and get applying to some jobs!