Should You Start a Job Search in December?

It is a popular belief that job searching around the festive period is slow and mostly ineffective. With hiring managers winding down for their Christmas break, yearly budgets spent and all thoughts turned to the New Year – it is easy to see why!

But in reality, if you are a candidate looking for a new role, Christmas could be a surprisingly lucrative time to search for your next opportunity. There are several reasons why starting your search now could be a recipe for success:

• Less competition

Statistics show that, with a surge of people looking for new jobs, the time spent finding a new role increases by 33% in January. With the majority of applicants ramping up their search in the new year, getting in contact with potential employers in December means there will be fewer CVs for yours to get lost amongst. This will also set you up perfectly for a January start, which most employers will be hoping for!

• Quicker process

If an employer wants someone to hit the ground running in the new year, they need to have them on board before the end of this one. With the clock counting down to Christmas, employers know that if they are going to make that crucial hire, time is of the essence! This can reduce time to hire for certain roles and speed up the whole process, so your start date could be a lot sooner than you think.

• Budgets

It is logical to think that, with a new year comes a new budget, and with it the scope to hire new people. However, what many fail to consider is the potential leftover budget from this year. If hiring managers find a surplus in December, they will be more willing to hire new employees because they know they can afford to.

Our advice

If you want to have a new job ready for the new year, this is our advice to maximise your chance of finding your new challenge for 2019:

1. Be proactive

If, when most companies are winding down, you are actively approaching potential employers and showing energy and enthusiasm, you are going to stand out. By getting in touch with key people in the business you want to work for, and starting the conversations now, you will be at the forefront of their mind for any December / January vacancies.

2. Network

Christmas is a great time for networking! Everyone has a busy social calendar and there are plenty of industry events for you to attend where you will meet influential people in your market. Making contact and creating a good first impression is a huge step towards landing your first role. You will be clearly remembered when they urgently need to fill that end-of-year vacancy.

3. Be flexible

December is a time when people start to use up their remaining annual leave, so you will find a lot of hiring managers and decision-makers will be in and out of the office and unable to commit to the interview days you might ideally want. If you are willing to meet outside of office hours or change your interview date at the last minute – you are already giving the impression that you will go the extra mile to make it work for the business.

So, if you are thinking of making a move before the new year rush starts, it could be a great opportunity for you to really get yourself noticed!

4. Partner with a trusted recruitment specialist

A good recruiter who takes the time to fully understand your needs, wants and motivations is a great asset to your job search. Having support from a specialist who knows your market and is proactive in utilising their networks to support your career move can accelerate the process and present you with opportunities that you may not find elsewhere.

If you have been holding back on your job hunt until January, now might be the time to take action. CSG have a number of vacancies in the Engineering and Construction sector and are looking for forward-thinking, proactive candidates to fill them. If you want to make the move ready for the new year, please contact me on bianca.yorkedavies@csgtalent.com.au or +61 2 8651 8200.

References

https://www.explore-group.com/blog/why-december-is-the-best-month-for-job-hunting/bp30/

https://paf-resources.com/3-reasons-to-ramp-up-your-job-search-in-december-no-its-not-just-to-avoid-the-family/

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/why-december-is-the-best-time-to-look-for-a-job-2015-12?r=US&IR=T

https://money.cnn.com/2009/12/04/news/economy/job_seasons/