Searching for work in December

Should I put my job search on hold until the New Year?

Candidates are often surprised to receive a call from us in December – doesn’t everything go on hold until the New Year?  What are the chances of getting an interview and even an offer before Christmas?

You might be surprised that it is not only very likely, it is actually a good time to search for a new job.  Here are a few reasons:

·         Lots of candidates will put their search on hold until the New Year – namely, your competition.   There are less applications for jobs, and less active candidates.  Of course, that doesn’t mean clients will compromise on quality, but if you’ve ever been pipped to the post by someone that the client perceived to be slightly stronger, this is a good time to restore your confidence.

·         Year end – if clients have been trying to recruit a difficult role for a while, they’ll want to fill the position or at least have someone lined up to start.  January is a time when hiring managers start getting anxious about losing their budget for new hires, so it is in their best interest to get the ball rolling.

·         With that in mind, it can be a very quick process.  If you are thinking ‘new year, new start’, there’s no reason why this can’t be the case.  The hiring manager won’t want to have to resume things after the Christmas break and risk losing good candidates.

For the third year in a row, December is proving to be a very busy month for us with opportunities both on the permanent and contract side of the business, some of them filled already.  Lots of candidates look for reasons to put off their job search, not realising that they could give themselves a substantial advantage by keeping up the momentum during December.  So what are you waiting for?  You can find some current vacancies here…