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Coach Caroleen
I help women in tech land jobs they love with personalized career coaching.
The holidays are busy even in COVID. According to Tripadvisor, over half of Americans still plan on traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. Whether you plan on traveling or not, it’s easy to get distracted from your job search.
It’s also easy to make excuses about why you shouldn’t bother with your job search during this time. The kids are home more. Family is visiting or you’re planning to visit them. And this is the kicker that always gets me, no one hires during this time anyways. Instead of making excuses, read below for all the reasons to keep your foot on the gas over the holidays.
Companies are still hiring over the holidays
Check your the local job boards and your automated email alerts. Learn how to set up those alerts here if you haven’t already! Are they empty? No way! Companies are absolutely still hiring through the holiday season. Look on LinkedIn, people are still posting that they’re accepting job offers and starting new opportunities.
You might not get a call from a recruiter on Thanksgiving Day but companies are still chugging along even through this time. During the holidays, when regular business slows down a bit, hiring managers have a bit more time to focus on interviews and hiring processes.
Personally, I interviewed with Wells Fargo in October, signed my offer letter in November, and started working in December. If I had believed the masses that no one hires during the holidays, I would have missed out on this great opportunity.
Less competition
Like I mentioned, people love to poo-poo on themselves and others about how no one hires during the holidays. I’ve heard it all.
You know how everyone just checks out during the holidays.
People are busy and distracted.
No one is hiring.
This is a waste of my time to apply during this time.
It’s the holidays so I deserve a break.
There will be a population of job seekers that will pull themselves out of the job hunt with this negative talk. They’ll make every excuse about why they shouldn’t keep trying. They’ll make excuses about why it’s not worth putting in the work when the opportunities aren’t out there.
Well, they’ve just made your life easier. Those people voluntarily left the job search race which gives you less competition! And as we know, companies are definitely still hiring during this time.
Increased networking with holiday cheer
Take advantage of the holiday spirit! People are more altruistic, kind, and open during this time. They may be more willing to respond to a “cold email” especially if you frame it up nicely.
People’s day jobs may slow down a bit which gives them space to meet and correspond with you. In pre-COVID times, I’d recommend attending more holiday networking events in-person. I’m not sure how this season will play out but you can still take advantage of the cheery holiday goodness.
Keep the job search momentum going
You know how if you exercise regularly, it’s not to bad? But if you take a month off, boy, it’s hard to get back into that routine?
Enjoy a more relaxed onboarding
Onboarding during the holidays is lovely. I started my job at Wells Fargo in December and by then, a lot of my colleagues were winding down their projects and preparing for time off.
It gave me a relaxed atmosphere to get some required online training out of the way. No one was cranking up new projects in mid-December so I got to take my time learning more about my team, role, and Wells Fargo as a company.
As a bonus, I also got some automatic Paid Time Off (PTO) that I had to take or lose before year-end. As a result, I got several extra unexpected days off.
Get organized and prepared for the new year
The holidays are also a perfect time to make sure you’re organized for the new year. I always recommend tracking all your applications and job search activities. If you haven’t been so diligent, this is a perfect time to do some housekeeping.
Take this time to spruce up your resume and social media. Take advantage of that holiday cheer and goodwill to line up your references.
Summary
It’s definitely worth continuing your job hunt over the holidays. Cut back on the negative inner-self talk and excuses. Look around. Companies are still hiring. Job boards are full. Your email alerts are still showing open opportunities. People are still starting new jobs over the holidays (like I did).
Take advantage of the other people pulling out of the job market. They’re reducing your competition. You also can enjoy the holiday goodwill of others by increasing your networking.
If you do get the job over the holidays, enjoy the relaxed onboarding. Enjoy the jovial environment to get some required training out of the way. Then you’ll be on track to start the new year with your shiny new job!
