Why you should continue your executive job search during the Christmas break

The end of the year is fast approaching and that means celebrations for Christmas and the New Year are on the way. For those of you who have been entertaining the prospect of a fresh start in the new year, then you might have found yourself debating whether to put your job search on hold or carry on during the festivities. After the turmoil of the last couple of years, it would be completely understandable to put your job search on pause for a well-earned break. However, there are actually a number of reasons why you should continue your job search during the festivities, making this the perfect time to carry on with your search for your next executive role. 

Recruiters have more time 

With it being December and the run up to Christmas, recruiters tend to have more time on their hands. In fact, December tends to be a contrast to January, when recruiters are under significant pressure to cope with the demands to fill new positions. 

As other departments begin to slow down in anticipation of the new year, those who work in recruitment will become increasingly available to focus predominantly on the recruitment process. As a result, there is more time available to go through CVs and conduct interviews, which will certainly work in favour should you go ahead with your job applications. 

Gain an advantage over the competition

Many of your job seeking competitors will be taking time off to prepare for a big push in the new year, with the belief that recruiters will be doing the same. So, instead of continuing their job search during the Christmas break like you, a lot of people will be naturally inclined to take time off and put their feet up. However, what people often don’t realise is that recruiters have more time in the run up to the Christmas break. That means you’ll put yourself in an advantageous position over those who would typically be applying to the same roles throughout the rest of the year. Therefore, if you stay focused and persist with your efforts, you might just come across a new and exciting job opportunity before the year is up. 

Managers are looking to spend their end of year budget

December is usually the time of year when budgets are set for the next period. That leaves managers with the predicament of using their remaining budget or losing it. As there’s not too much time to spare until the end of the year, managers will be pushed to find productive ways in which they can spend their remaining budgets. With this in mind, one of the recurring solutions is to spend the remaining budget on a new hire, which leaves those in charge of recruitment with the challenge of filling the vacant roles. This results in a number of teams being expanded with new employees, which ends up being beneficial for both the executive hires and the company. 

The executive hiring process takes time

Unlike the recruitment process at a more junior level, hiring at an executive level takes time. As a matter of fact, the average time of an executive hire can take between six weeks to three months. The exact time it takes will depend on the type of process the company decides to utilise to recruit, assess and hire for their vacant executive positions. From a company’s perspective, there’s a need to identify the specific needs for the role in question, find the top candidates and then interview them, before making an offer to the chosen candidate. 

As each of these steps needs to be completed thoroughly to reach the desired outcome of onboarding a high performing employee, the whole process takes time. From your point of view as someone who will be going through these lengthy application processes, it’s important to stay in your current role to provide a form of stability. However, while others put their job search on pause, you can jump to the front of the queue by continuing to apply to jobs throughout the Christmas break. Then, when it comes to the applications being processed, you will stand a far better chance of securing a new job towards the start of the year.  

Networking opportunities

As the year draws to a close there will be an uptake in social events, which provides you with a number of opportunities to network. Although networking isn’t a direct way of applying for jobs, it’s certainly beneficial to speak to different people in a variety of circumstances and jobs. One of the events that you will be able to network at is your company’s Christmas party. Here, you will be free to talk to employees from different teams. Of course, it’s not wise to go around telling everyone that you’re hoping to leave for a new job. But, the event should give you a renewed perspective of the different teams within the company, which might give you some inspiration when it comes to taking the next steps in your career. 

More time to work on your CV 

When you are attempting to find a new job, having an updated CV is essential. Therefore, it’s necessary to take the additional time off during the Christmas break to reflect on your current role. Instead of just listing your responsibilities, you should aim to stand out by listing your key achievements and contributions. This will allow you to see how you have improved in your latest role, which should actually help you to perform better in interviews. You should also take the time to build out your LinkedIn profile as it’s a useful tool when it comes to networking with recruiters. As a result, it’s important that your LinkedIn profile represents you fairly as a working professional and is updated with all of your latest achievements and recommendations. 

If you want some additional help finding a new executive role, then you’ve come to the right place. With the help of Pareto’s executive recruitment process, you can take your career to the next level.