Why December is the best time to job hunt
12 Dec 2019
Like promising to go to the gym every day or learn a new skill, so many people decide that the start of the New Year is the ideal time to look for a job. It’s easy to assume that employers down tools when it comes to hiring in December but are you missing out on vital preparation time?
If you wait until January, you risk facing the most competitive time of the year for job hunters. Time to seize the day and get ahead of the crowd! Here are just a couple of reasons why you should see December as the ideal time to job hunt!
1. Hiring budgets
The fiscal year ends on December 31st and many companies reduce hiring budgets for the following year if they’re not used up by the end of the year. So employers are anxious to use their budget and get new hires completed by the end of December. While you don’t have to start your new job until the following year, you can have your job contracts signed, sealed and delivered before Christmas Day, just in time for you to relax and enjoy the festive season!
2. Time to dust off your CV and social media branding
As the year winds down, you now have plenty of time to look over your CV and add in skills / experience that you’ve gained in the last 12 months. You have also plenty of time to polish up your personal branding on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn. Make sure your LinkedIn profile shows you in the best possible light for the jobs you want! Take a look at jobs boards and get the ball rolling.
3. Getting a headstart
Lots of people put their job hunting on hold until January simply because it’s the festive season. This means that there will be less competition for roles. Get ahead of the curve and start applying now. Start talking to recruiters and hiring managers now. These conversations may not bear immediate fruit now but could put you in pole position come January when they start shortlisting candidates.
4. Networking
The festive season and all its accompanying parties are a great time to reconnect with people. Professional associations have their annual end of year parties which is the ideal opportunity to network shamelessly. Although if your colleagues are also attending these functions, do try and be discreet about it. It’s also the time that expats come home so if you are interested in moving abroad, then now is your chance to talk to people and find out what’s available in their companies / locations.
5. Catching your interviewers at a great time.
Employers also are in better moods in December. They’re looking forward to time off, the parties and quite possibly their end of year bonuses. Wouldn’t you rather deal with a hiring manager in the throes of the holiday spirit rather than in January when they’re still suffering the January blues?
Tenacity and determination definitely pays off when it comes to December job hunting! Best of luck with your search!
For further information and a confidential conversation about your career please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Brightwater team on [email protected] or 01 662 1000