December is a Great Month to Conduct a Job Search

Many people believe that the month of December is not a good time to find a new job because employers hold their hiring until January and this leads to a lot of people ending their job search during the month, according to an article from NextAvenue.

CNNMoney recently published data from a survey by ExecuNet that says 69 percent of recruiters place as many, or more, job candidates in the month of December than any other month of the year.

The article from NextAvenue puts together a list of reasons why you should continue your job search in the month of December instead of putting it on hold. The first of those reasons is that you will have less competition than during the rest of the year. So many people believe that companies hold off on hiring until January that fewer job applications are filed in December. With less applicants, you have higher odds of getting noticed.

Reason number two that you should job search in December is that your efforts will make you stand out from the rest of the crowd. As others enjoy the holiday season, companies will notice your determination to find a job.

A majority of businesses spend the month of December planning for the coming year, which means their budgets will be finalized during the month. This helps increase your odds that some of that money will be spent on your salary beginning in January.

It is not entirely common, but many vacancies happen when employees receive their year-end bonuses and then walk away from their jobs. This causes companies to scramble to fill those vacancies, which means your application could jump to the top of the list for companies.

In December, recruiters and company executives tend to stay in the office more often, which means it might be easier to grab an interview that could lead to a new job.

During the month of December, thousands of companies hire seasonal or temporary workers. There is nothing wrong with grabbing one of those jobs. You can use the job to earn cash while job hunting, try to get your foot in the door or to experiment with different types of jobs you could work.

You could attend an informational interview in December to help find a job. Reach out to a company that has positions you are interested in working and call to schedule an information interview. Most people are in the giving mood during the holidays, which could prevent you from being declined for the interview. If someone obliges, make sure you send a hand-written thank-you note following the interview.

The final reason is to keep your momentum headed in the right direction. Should you put your job search on hold during the month of December, you might find it more difficult to resume the job search once the calendar turns.