Believe it or not, the holiday season is truly a great time to advance your job search. Many job seekers don’t see this, so they often pause their search from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Their missed opportunity is your advantage: With fewer applicants, you can use the holiday season to connect with potential employers.
The Gatekeepers are Away
Here’s the first thing you should know about job seeking during the holidays: For many businesses, it’s actually a little bit of a lull. (Big exceptions include retail and hospitality—but those are discussions for another day.)
For many companies, the last weeks of the year tend to slow down, with people taking time off and many employees preparing for the new year. Most teams avoid starting major projects in December, so there’s more room than you might expect to set up an interview or an informational meeting.
And here’s the exciting thing: With administrative assistants and other gatekeepers taking time off, you have a really good shot at making direct contact with a middle manager. In other words, your best time to engage with a potential employer may be at the height of the holidays. Take advantage of this unique window of opportunity!
Socialization is Key
While you’re making those connections, also be sure you’re showing up to holiday parties and gatherings. You don’t have to approach these get-togethers as networking opportunities; just show up to have some fun.
With that said, it’s bound to come up that you’re looking for work—and often, you’ll score some meaningful introductions without necessarily trying very hard. Again, this is a unique window, so make sure you make good use of any festive fellowship opportunities that come your way.
Get Busy and Get to Work
One more thing: The holiday season is as good a time as any to spruce up some of your personal marketing collateral. Why not reach out to a local photographer and have some professional headshots taken, then upload them to your LinkedIn profile? As the holiday card season dies down, you should have no trouble at all getting an appointment.
You can use the holidays as an excuse to send quick check-ins to your social media connections—perhaps triggering a conversation about the kinds of jobs you’re seeking.
And, you can use the holidays as a chance to fine-tune your resume—or get a new one written from scratch, ensuring you’re ready to start the new year on a strong note.
The holidays will be here before you know it—and if you’re targeting a new job, the time to strategize is now.