4 Reasons Yuletide Job-Hunting Could Make Your Christmas Merry and Bright!

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4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Stop Your Job Search Over Christmas

For most of us, the run up to Christmas is either a leisurely wind-down or an action-packed social snowball. It can be difficult, therefore, to continue your momentum, when job hunting at Christmas.

Yet, by not staying in the Christmas job search, you could be missing out.

Here are four ways your festive job hunt could gift you a very merry Christmas.

 

1. Beat the New Year Rush

 

Many people stop or, at least, slow down their job-hunting over the festive period. This automatically means there is less competition for roles and it is easier for you to make a great impression on prospective employers.

In January, the ‘new year, new me’ way of thinking kicks in, and a significant number of people will consider changing their jobs as the best way to kick off 2019.

Therefore, if you have begun job hunting but ‘had a rest’ over Christmas and try to pick it up again in the New Year, you are likely to encounter far more competition.

It’s a bit like starting a journey, checking into a hotel whilst the roads are clear, and then setting off again in rush hour!

You are much better off continuing at a steady pace, until you reach your destination. Sure, you can take short breaks to refresh and refuel, but then get back on that road.

 

2. Happy Hiring Budgets

 

The usual perception is that business slows during the countdown to Christmas.

For hiring managers, however, November and December can be an opportunity to fill vacancies before the hiring budget resets in January.

Depending on the sector you are looking to work in – always do your research! – you may find that new vacancies are opening up, with fewer candidates applying. Similarly, in some cases, the push to fill existing vacancies intensifies.

Here are a few tips for exploiting hiring budgets:

 

• Know Your Sector – Some industries work to different recruiting schedules, so information is key

 

• Speculate to Accumulate – Even if a vacancy isn’t quite right for you, sending off a CV and a well-written cover letter to a company you wish to work for puts you on their radar

 

• Be Flexible – Response times may slow down, or you might be asked to interview at short notice – making yourself available!

 

3. Christmas Contract Work

 

When you think of Christmas jobs, you’ll probably think retail or hospitality.

Both can be good for earning some cash whilst you continue your job hunt. If you are, say, a front-end developer or a copywriter, though, you probably don’t want to be working in a shop or a bar over the festive period.

However, those aren’t the only short-term roles you can find during this time.

For some industries, Christmas means a new set of creatives, or a specific project which requires a role to be filled for a fixed-term period. Temporary HR and Admin roles may also open up, to cope with an increased workload.

When this happens, the vacancies will need to be filled quickly, so you need to make sure you’ve given yourself the best chance of being considered.

 

4. Festive Cheer

 

If you do manage to, not only secure your dream job, but also start before Christmas, you will be invited to work social occasions. Typical company events such as ‘Christmas jumper day’ and ‘Secret Santa’ are great icebreakers in a new role. Not to mention, most businesses will have some form of Christmas party, where you can mingle with your new work colleagues in a low-pressure environment.

On the other hand, if your start date isn’t until the New Year, you can enjoy Christmas all the more, knowing your job hunt is over and you can start 2019 on a positive note!

 

So, there you have it, the countdown to Christmas is on, but your Christmas job search should be ongoing.

Don’t drop the bauble. By all means, deck the halls, but make sure you’re CV is equally glittering, and you’ve done all you can to further your career before you wrap it up for the big day.

After all, a new job could be the best present you receive this Christmas!

 

First Achieve recruit for a number of industries and always have a wide range of job opportunities available. Check on our jobs page to see the different roles we are currently recruiting for.