Find a Job in December

December – For Job hunters, It’s a Wonderful Month

By Combined Wire ServicesContrary to popular opinion, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is one of the best times to find a job, says Tony Lee, editor in chief of CareerJournal.com, the executive career site from The Wall Street Journal.”At this time of year, companies may actually have a financial incentive to hire you because they have money left over and want to get new hires on the books before year’s end,” explains Lee. “If you are unemployed, now is not the time to take a hiatus from the job hunt.”Many companies look to staff new projects in December so they will be prepared in January. They also look to hire temporary staff, an ideal way for job seekers to get a foot in the door while earning some extra holiday shopping money.Positions often open up as transitioning employees quit their jobs in order to move to new positions that start just after the New Year. And competition is lighter as many other job hunters focus on holiday-related activities.Job-hunting in November and December also may be easier because many hiring managers have a more relaxed attitude during the holiday season and there are more opportunities to network at holiday social events.”Networking remains the single most effective method of finding a new job, and there’s no better time to network than the holidays,” says Lee.CareerJournal.com offers these tips for job-hunting over the holidays:

• Make the most of your job hunt by sending out holiday greeting cards that include a search update letter, which is an effective way to thank people who have been helpful and let them know the status of your search.
• Prepare a brief summary of your current situation to share with others at holiday gatherings who may know of a good opportunity.
• Accept every invitation you can, from your neighbor’s open house and your professional organization’s gathering to your child’s holiday concert. Use this time to reconnect with former colleagues, distant relatives, vendors and others who may offer leads for your search.
• Don’t stop your job search, even for a couple of weeks, because it often takes longer to get motivated to start looking again.
• Make sure your holiday networking is effective by creating a two-minute summary of your goals.
• “Don’t put off your job search until after the holidays. By waiting, you’ll become part of the ‘January glut’ of post-holiday job hunters,” says Lee.

Barry Wall, student employment advisor at The Art Institute of Portland, has additional advice for December job-hunters:

• Look for jobs with companies that have departments you would be interested in working for full-time. If you get a job as a cashier at a department store but have graphic design aspirations, then do the best job that you can as a cashier and talk to people that work in the graphics department. If you build a solid relationship with your boss and other managers, you are going to be poised to find out about a position in the graphics department before it’s posted publicly.
• If you’re looking for a job with full-time possibilities, don’t discount small businesses. Small business owners will do everything they can that’s within their budget, and they tend to be more loyal. If their business is going well, they are often the most helpful resources, networking contacts and potential employers.

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