Job Hunting During the Holidays: Not as Pointless as You Think?

Conventional wisdom says that the holidays aren't the best time for job-hunting unless you're looking for a seasonal gig flogging mistletoe. But one recruiting expert at least is turning that idea on its head, arguing that hectic holiday schedules can actually work in a candidate's favor -- provided the holiday stress belongs to your competition.

In his weekly newsletter to subscribers, Marc Cenedella, CEO and founder of TheLadders.com, made the case that the period between Thanksgiving and mid-January presents particular opportunities for the conscientious job seeker:

We hear the same complaint every year: "I can't get candidates on the phone. I can't get candidates in for interviews. I can't even get a response." We hear it from Fortune 1000 recruiters, HR departments, executive search firms and agencies.

My advice is--Don't let this happen to you. Candidates, i.e., your competition, get very distracted during the holidays with all the family and friends and festivities to enjoy. Turn this to your advantage. Rather than allowing your holiday schedule to get in the way of your search, double down and make an extra effort to be proactive this December.

For every candidate who misses a phone call, an interview, a job opportunity, there's a frustrated recruiter on the other side. And if you can be that golden ticket -- the responsive candidate who makes life easier for the recruiter or HR department -- you'll be that much more likely to land a gig before the end of the year.

Recruiting budgets don't shrink in December -- if anything, there's actually a push to get headcount in before the annual budget expires. And HR people and recruiters are still coming to work full-time every day and need to keep performing for their clients and hiring managers. Make their lives easy and they'll make your job search come to an end more quickly.

• Use holiday events for schmoozing. You never know who will produce your next job lead. Attend as many events as you can reasonably fit into your calendar. You don't want to be obnoxious about your job search and aggravate friends and relatives. But, do prepare a brief statement to tell people that you are looking for a job and the kind of job you seek.
• Send holiday cards with your business card enclosed to hiring managers with whom you've recently interviewed. Send a card to any managers with whom you've completed an informational interview. Send one to well-connected friends, with whom you've recently spoken about your job search, as well.

(Image courtesy of Flickr user debairdâ„¢, CC 2.0)