03 Dec 5 Reasons To Keep Job Searching During the Holidays

Why It’s Important to Keep Your Job Search Alive in December

Most years, the holidays are filled with families, friendship, and festivities. For job seekers, staying focused, and keeping their job search alive during the merriment of the holidays, and the stress of a global pandemic, is challenging. But if you take a break from job hunting now, you could miss out on real career opportunities. 

The idea to ride out the last few weeks of 2020 enjoying the holidays, however odd the holidays may be, and hit the ground running in 2021 may be more enticing than the effort required to keep your job search active. But with nearly 14 million workers facing the end of unemployment benefits in late December many don’t have the luxury to put the brakes on a job search.

Whichever current job situation you find yourself in, here are 5 very important reasons to keep pressing the gas pedal on your job hunt during the holidays and the last few weeks of 2020.

1) Use It or Lose It Positions

Many positions were budgeted for in 2020 and need to be filled within the fiscal or calendar year they were planned or the hiring manager risks losing the position or budget for it if it remains unfilled. These hiring managers will be actively hiring in the final weeks of 2020 to ensure they get to keep those positions by filling them.

2) Seasonal Positions

Many companies are currently hiring to meet seasonal needs or as a result of increased demand caused by the ongoing pandemic. Grocery stores, big-box retailers, online retailers, delivery companies, fast food restaurants, pet, hardware, and auto stores, and tax service companies are all actively hiring. 

3) No Lag Time to Start 2021

Companies want to hit the ground running in 2021. If they wait to begin the hiring process until January, they won’t have positions filled until late January or early February at best. Many companies will be starting the hiring process now so they can have their new hires ready to start the first week of January.

4) Delayed Fall Hiring

In some cases, open positions were planned to be filled in September, after the summer months. However, COVID, life, uncertainty, and economic challenges may have delayed or slowed down a company’s hiring process. These companies are now, finally, looking to fill these open positions or have the time to devote to reviewing resumes and conducting interviews.

5) Less Competition

If you stay in the game and actively job search during the holidays, you will benefit from less competition for open positions. Many job seekers believe, incorrectly, that no one is hiring during this time or they’re distracted by holiday events and activities. They don’t even get in the game. Increase your chances of getting an interview and a job offer by continuing your job search activities when others have put them on pause.

Career opportunities don’t stop during the holidays and neither should you! Keep your job search alive during the holidays and benefit from the open positions and less competition that occur this time of year. Hopefully, you’ll soon have a big reason to celebrate the New Year… a new job

For more information and assistance on Job Searching During the Holidays, I’ll be hosting an interactive panel discussion on how to keep your job search alive during the holidays. Join the discussion on December 10 at 9:30 am. Register here.