T'is the Season

I'm slightly blue today over the job search.  The classified ads haven't been particularly promising, my phone hasn't exactly been ringing off the hook, and the only emails I've received recently are from friends, family, and spammers.  Hiring managers haven't been touching base lately.  Despite everything, I continue to respond to the few applicable classified ads I've come across, in hopes that the telephone will ring or the email inbox will fill. 

I'm a bit bereft, but I'm also filled with optimism over the upcoming holiday season.  Granted, Santa can't bring me a career in his sleigh, but according to an online article on cnn.com, Best Time to get a Job (http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/04/news/economy/job_seasons/), December is, interestingly enough, one of the best times to find work during the year.  And we're not talking seasonal employment here.  As CNN scribe, Jessica Dickler, sensibly points out, different companies have different busy periods.  Some organizations may have quite a lot going on at the end of the year -- undeniably welcome news for late-autumn and early-winter job-seekers -- and may need to fill positions.  Other organizations may still have a few dollars kicking around in their hiring budgets and may need an extra set of hands by year's end, which means opportunity could very possibly present itself in December.  Often, hiring managers are operating at a more relaxed pace by year's end, and possibly in the spirit of the holiday season, may be willing to extend a job offer simply if the need exists and the right candidate presents his/herself at the right time.

The holiday season also provides yet another outlet for job-seekers looking for work in late autumn or early winter via networking.  Many corporations hold events or parties at year's end, which provides an opportunity for candidates to introduce themselves to hiring managers on a friendly, less formal basis.  While I'm hardly a party person, job-seekers who are would probably do well to ask employed friends if it's at all possible to accommodate them to a company's holiday party or other social event.  Again, while this approach really isn't for me, it may work well for others, and I certainly wouldn't discourage a job-seeker who's interested in going this route.  It could work.  You never know.

This is why it's critical for job candidates to remain on high alert post-Thanksgiving.  Many job-seekers put the career hunt on hold at the end of the year, assuming that it's a slow time of year and companies won't be hiring.  But sometimes this period of quiet can prove itself to be the solution -- not the problem -- as there tends to be less competition, which means a greater chance that the phone will ring or the inbox will fill as hiring managers may be interesting in touching base during the holiday season.