The months of November and December are often busy, both personally and professionally. It can be stressful doing typical holiday activities, like traveling to see family or shopping for gifts, while not falling behind in our professional responsibilities. With all these extra commitments and a general feeling of not having enough hours in a day, the thought of changing jobs during the holidays sounds insane.
If this is your initial reaction to the thought of changing jobs or starting a new career during a time often filled with turkeys and Christmas music, your sentiment is popular. Many staffing and recruiting agencies list January and February as the best times to make a change. Many employees use the new year to evaluate where they are in their careers and make changes.
However, in November, hiring managers are often working to meet goals set at the beginning of the year. Often times, this includes looking to make their final hires before the year ends. Into December, while offices stereotypically slow down, managers are developing budgets and goals for the upcoming year. This is the time where managers are identifying the new roles that need to be filled.
Now is the perfect time to job search
With the job outlook as good as it is right now, it is important to take advantage of these opportunities while the competition is at its lowest. While most applicants will wait for January to begin the process of applying to new jobs, strike early to stand-out, and at the very least, ensure your resume is one of the first that crosses the hiring manager’s desk.
It’s easy to feel fragmented this time of the year; most of our responsibilities and attention are closely tied to this time of year. Winter months become synonymous with holidays. The fall sends our kids back to school and the spring reminds us of tax season. But it is important to remember your career does not have a time frame, season, or month. Self-improvement and self-advancement are on-going processes. And November or December could be your month to take advantage of it. If you find yourself searching for a new job this time of year, check out the JSG job board. We just may have the job opportunity to perfectly cap off your 2018.
