All I Want for Christmas is a Brand New Job, a Brand New Job, a Brand New Job...

It's December and I’ve submitted a blizzard of job applications this month.  Just after I send them out, I feel this rush of optimism, of hope.  This morning I checked my email messages and actually thought to myself, “OK, good, no turndowns yet; they still have time to crush me, but so far, so good.”  (This is my self-talk version of cautious optimism.)

I’m feeling this rush of energy to apply for jobs, network with people in my field, work on my LinkedIn profile.  It’s my last chance for 2011!  Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we long-term unemployed people could start the New Year with a new job?

Speaking of the holidays, Santa Claus made an appearance at a networking event I attended the other evening.  People were lined up like little kids to visit with him and have a picture taken.  When it was my turn, I said, “Santa, I’d like a job for Christmas.”  To my surprise, Santa replied, “Yeah, me too.”  Things are that bad that even Santa is out of work?

Yes, the year will be over within days, which means there’s still a little time to find a job before 2011 comes to an uneventful (and unemployed) end.  I do wonder who would be hiring right now, with all the hubbub of holiday parties and wrapping up year-end tasks?

As a matter of fact, though, my inbox is peppered these days with emails entitled “Why the Holidays are the Best Time to Apply for Jobs,” with links to articles that tell you why.  All of them have essentially the same message: attention, all you out-of-work people out there!  The time has finally arrived!  The best time to look for – and find – a job is: NOW.  Here are links to a few articles with this theme.

http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/12/08/is-job-seeking-pointless-during-the-holidays/

http://www.jobsjournal.com/articles/312008633/The-Holidays-Are-the-Best-Time-to-Search-for-a-Job

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57325669/holiday-season-no-time-to-apply-for-jobs-a-total-myth/

According to these writers, the end of the year can be a great time to grab the golden ring, that elusive new job, for several reasons:

• Most other job-seekers are waiting until after the holidays to continue their searches, so you’ll have less competition
• Hiring managers with year-end vacancies can have you onboard by 1/1 if they hire you now
• The unemployment rate has dropped and if this continues, there may be more competition for talented people in 2012, so managers may want to hire you now
• Lots of employees are taking vacation this time of year, so you may be able to call a company and get a backup person to give you the name of the hiring manager, whom you can then contact directly about a job posting
• Unlike in the Fall and Spring, when new grads flood employers with applications, it’s a quiet time of year for HR people, so it’s easier to get their attention.

So it’s Christmastime and I've been a good girl and I think I deserve a really good present this year.  But since jobs don’t just magically appear under the tree, I’m going to have to make the extra effort myself to wrap one up for the holidays.

My goal is to be singing “Auld Lang Syne” and looking forward to a new year and a new job.