Keep Job Hunting During Holidays
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
PRINCETON, N.J. – If you are unemployed or stuck in a job you dislike, the holiday season may be the best time of year to find a new job, according to CareerJournal.com.
The Web site, located at http://www.CareerJournal.com, is the executive career site from The Wall Street Journal.
“Don’t stop job hunting because you assume that no one is hiring between Thanksgiving and New Year’s,” says Tony Lee, editor in chief of CareerJournal.com. “When their work load declines in December, many managers use the down time to interview candidates. And thanks to the new budget year that begins in January, those managers often have the money to hire candidates again to fill positions that have been open for many months.”
Full-time positions also open up as transitioning employees quit their jobs to move to new positions that start just after the New Year.
The abundance of typical holiday activities also means there is less competition than normal job-hunting periods. As fellow job hunters shift their focus to holiday schedules, parties, and seasonal chores such as shopping and decorating, November and December can be good months for landing that elusive interview or getting your resume looked at in a prompt fashion.
CareerJournal.comoffered several tips for job hunting over the holiday season:
* Accept every social and business invitation to attend as many holiday parties as you can, since networking is the key to finding a job.
* Send out holiday greeting cards that include an update letter about your job search.
* You can also thank people who have been helpful in your career through the past year and let them know the status of your job hunt.
* Hand-deliver resumes so they don’t get lost in the holiday rush.
* Track news of companies’ 2005 plans that may indicate job openings.
* Don’t stop your job search, even for a couple of weeks.
“Searching for a new job is a fulltime job in itself when done right, so use holiday vacation time and a slower workload to network in person and by phone,” Mr. Lee says. “It’s a great way to make sure that you start the New Year in a new job.”
