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Why December is the best month for job hunting

December is a great time to job hunt!

Typical Recruitment convention dictates that December is always an awful time to start your job search

Employers roll down their windows until after the Christmas break and hiring managers tend to take their foot off the gas.

As far as recruitment goes, most agencies seem to slow down. The Christmas parties begin to loom and frankly everybody in the office has one eye on the extended break (which is gold-dust for any recruiter).

However, in my experience as a Recruiter, IT consultant and Sales Exec, I’ve concluded that December is far more lucrative for your search and that window is indeed not closed. Looking into the stats over the last nine years, across three offices, 20+ vertical markets and over 50 consultants, shows us that interviews, job offers and completed deals in December are significantly higher than what you might expect.

Several factors explain this:

Less competition

You will have a significantly decreased amount of competition for every job you apply to.  There are so many of your rivals slacking off for holidays that there will be far fewer applications for your CV to compete with.

You’ve got the chance to take your time through an application process during December and to prepare thoroughly for interviews and technical tasks that can be completed without the usual looming stress cloud (I’m not talking AWS) over your computer.

Note :

On the flip side, your competition after the Christmas period will be up tenfold compared to your average recruitment drive, and applications are almost doubled, interview slots fill up within hours and the time spent finding a new role increases by 33%

Your diligence will be noticed

You will be noted down as somebody who is pro-active and not content with waiting till next month or after the holidays.  The fact that you are active and passionate about making a move that will expand your career will not go unnoticed.  I find clients are far more willing to attend after work interviews and interviews during lunch breaks as they are willing to show equal commitment to your application.

Increased chances for networking

Networking in the holiday period is awesome! The amount of social events that occur with dinners and parties means you have an excellent opportunity to get involved with companies and get a real feel for the team you will be working with while also getting a great insight into your future working environment. It goes without saying; the festive period brings out the best in us. Nobody wants to be labelled a “Scrooge”, start networking and start schmoozing today!

Fun times, a break and a great new start

If you have a notice period, or even a four week notice period but would love a break in between roles, what better time to look than in December?  Most companies will be happy with you joining after the Christmas break. They can keep you involved in festivities and then start physically working in January – Best of both worlds, right?

All in all, December is a far more lucrative chance to search for a job and what better feeling to have than eating your Festive lunch with the thought of an exciting, better-paid opportunity to go back to in January. If you’re ever struggling to get motivated after the break, a new role is something to add to the menu for sure

Written by Kashif Ali, Senior Team Leader at Explore Group

Added 2-Dec-2019

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