Holiday Career Searching
Ready, Set, and Go!

By Jim Cunningham,
Executive Career Consultant

Because of this myth, the market for potential employees dwindles as career seekers relax, travel, shop, and generally get ready to make merry. This leaves lots more room for you – if you’re will to keep pressing on with your career search plan. So, instead of taking the month of December off, let’s look at the advantages of a Holiday career search.

We’ll discuss three questions, the answers to which will convince you to use the time from Thanksgiving through New Years to your greatest benefit.

-- First, what’s going on within potential target companies during the Holidays?
One of many great reasons to stay energized during your Holiday career search is that many companies chart new directions and develop new strategies for the first of the year that can result in hiring increases. These companies need to actively look for new employees during November and December so they can successfully launch their new plans in January. If you can get through the doors of these companies to network during the Holidays and place yourself at the “top-of-mind” with the decision makers, you may be in a good position for hiring – certainly in a much better position than your competition who decided to go skiing or go back to Iowa to visit Auntie Jean.

Another trend we see is that many companies tend to slow down their daily operations during the Holidays and may take advantage of this time to do their interviewing for the New Year. If you’re holding back until January, you’re going to miss the train. As mentioned above, the first of the year is when previous plans developed during the Holidays get executed.

Related to this, many normally busy company executives tend to travel less during the Holidays and are therefore more available to conduct interviews and make hiring decisions.

Budgets are also a factor. Companies that run on a calendar year basis and internal recruiters facing budgetary pressures may want to fill openings during the Holidays so they don’t lose the funding for these positions in the New Year. We also know of sales organizations that do their annual sales meetings and kick-offs in January and want to be fully staffed before those events.

Another phenomenon we’ve observed is that people who are dissatisfied with their work tend to give their two-week notice the first of December so they can spend the Holidays with their families. Professionals that have already lined up new opportunities for the New Year are leaving companies at this same time creating openings that may be a good fit for you.

The bottom line is that businesses tend to like to tie up loose ends in December so they can start afresh in the New Year. Please remember that businesses hire people to fix problems and make money – they have needs. Those needs are just as likely to be fulfilled in December as they are in January.

-- Second, what’s going on within the minds of your competition during the Holidays?
The pervasive myth that the Holidays are a bad time to career search can de-motivate your competition and put them into a “stand by” mode. Since the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas tends to be a busy one socially and family-wise, it’s easy for a normally motivated, active, go-getter to easily transfer their energies from the career search plan to planning for the Holidays – there’s lots to do and your competition may perceive their “extra time” will be a big help to their families, especially if they have a working spouse. They may get a lot of errands run and shopping done but the loss of momentum they’ll suffer will be hard to make up in the New Year.

The myth translates into a self-fulfilling prophecy: “The market’s going to slow down in December so I’m just going to just lay low for a while.” Important point: A successful career search is all about setting yourself apart from the competition. If the majority of your competition is taking it easy over the Holidays, your action orientation will really set you apart and make you stand out. Every laid-back career searcher hanging around the malls during the Holidays buying slippers for Auntie Jean is one less person standing in your way at the gates of corporate America.

-- Finally, are there any advantages to networking during the Holidays?Networking is always going to be the key to your career search, whether it’s the Holidays or not. After all, that’s where 80-85% of the positions are – unpublished. Think of the market as an iceberg. The top of the iceberg is about 15-20% of the total mass and it’s what you can see. That represents published positions – the classifieds, the Internet, staffing and employment agencies, headhunters/recruiters, etc. The part of the iceberg you can’t readily see is the largest part of the mass and represents the unpublished job market. These positions aren’t “hidden,” they’re just unpublished. You find them by networking.

Because of the festive events that take place during the Holidays, it’s a natural time to network. You never know who’s going to be at these events. Your family and friends know lots of people who also know lots of other people. No matter who you meet, you can usually make some sort of positive connection. Remember, your objective is to meet these people socially, make personal connections, and form relationships. What does that look like?

Networking is always a two-way-street. It’s not just about what you can get from the other person but, more importantly, what you can do to return the favor. It’s like a bank account. In order to make withdrawals, you also have to make deposits. Express your willingness to help the person you’re networking with – after talking to them, connect the dots and figure out who or what you know that can help them achieve their goals. They will be eager to reciprocate.

Get some business cards showing your contact information and career objective. But be careful, nothing will put people off faster than asking them for a job. Remember, you’re networking and that’s all about gathering information to support your career search plan and getting names of people that can potentially help you achieve your goals. You have to be able to express those goals with certainty, not ask for advice about what you want to be when you grow up.

What is talking with certainty? Gordon Miller, our Executive Coach for the Denver market, expresses this concept using a Holiday analogy Don’t network like Tiny Tim – don’t come across as “needy” (even if you feel you are). Playing small or “oh, poor me” will turn people off in a heartbeat: “Oh, I’m John Doe and I’m an unemployed Sales Professional – I haven’t worked in months and my resources are about all gone. Do you have any idea where I can find a job?” That’s the Tiny Tim approach, certain to make people walk away from you at a festive event and head straight for the eggnog. How about this:

“I’m John Doe, a Sales professional in the financial industry. I’ve been doing some consulting work for Company X, I’m volunteering on a committee at my church to raise funds for needy families in our community, and I’ve been working with one of my friend’s son to help him get some career focus before he heads off to college next Fall. I’m in a career search myself, looking for opportunities that will use my skills and competencies to help people find new careers that are good fits for their passions and interests.”

That’s networking like a winner and winners don’t stop networking in December. If you’re persistent and confident, your efforts should result in some interesting networking meetings. Another caution: while at Holiday social events (or any others, for that matter), don’t try to set a networking meeting on the spot. Exchange cards, maybe make a note on the back about what you talked about, then call later in the week to set the appointment.

I hope you’ve been able to see the advantages of staying energized with your career search during the Holidays. No matter what the time of year, it’s a 40-50 hour per week job. Hit the bricks with as much fervor as you would with a full-time professional position.

As you drive by the mall on your way to a December networking meeting, give a little wave and a smile to your competition who fell victim to the self-fulfilling prophesy that things are slow in December. Things did slow down for them.... But not for you!