Should I Start My Job Search in December - The Benefits

December is often the time of year where many industries start to wind down for the year and look forward to planning the year ahead. For some, it’s incredibly busy and there’s very little time to review and plan. However, the jobs market across some sectors can often slow down with recruitment drives paused until the new year.

But that’s not always the case and ultimately, it can set people back as we approach the new year.

While the new year is a great time to start afresh, if you’re considering a new opportunity right now, why not act straight away and get ahead of those that may wait until January?

It is a popular belief that job searching slows down and can be less effective during the festive period, but our experienced recruiters at CSG Talent believe it’s the perfect time to consider your next career move. Typically, in December we experience a quieter period than throughout the year, however in recent years, activity across the business and the wider market has remained consistent. Our clients have continued with recruitment activity in preparation for the new year and candidates have pushed forward with their job search in the run up to Christmas. In a candidate driven market, now is not the time to pause job searching activities, it’s important you remain competitive and continue your job search as we move closer to the end of the year.

There are many benefits to starting your job search ahead of the new year, we explore some of them here:

Starting your job search in December: The Benefits

While you may not secure a new role for some weeks or even months, it’s beneficial to get a head start and begin planning to move your job search forward before the year ends. When you reach a certain level in your career, the recruitment process can be much more in-depth, with longer notice periods and deeper level conversations, the full process can take some time from initial conversation through to start date. This is why it’s great to be proactive and start your job search at a time where less candidates are active across the market.

By starting your job search in December, you will;

• Put yourself in a prime position for the new year, ahead of increased candidate competition
• Allow yourself the time to establish what you want from a new role and the direction you want to take your career
• Have the time to build and enhance your CV, portfolio or online presence and personal brand
• Spend time engaging with the right recruiter for you and your market to give yourself the best chance to succeed in securing a new opportunity

Advice from our expert recruitment team at CSG Talent

It’s important to maximise your opportunity to secure a new role in the near year and put yourself in the prime position to succeed in your job search. Our team highlight their top tips to ensure your job search is successful:

Plan and prepare to support your career development

Before moving forward and considering new opportunities or engaging with a recruitment expert, ensure you know what you want to achieve. Think about your career goals, will this next move support your long-term career development or end career goals? Think about the opportunities you would be willing to consider in terms of roles, location, company size and culture, salary, benefits, and all other important factors individual to you. Knowing all this information ahead of the process will help keep you focused and in line with your own career goals.

Be proactive with your job search

Stand out from the crowd and be proactive and organised. With December generally being a quieter period across the jobs market where many organisations and job seekers are winding down, you will be in a prime position to put yourself forward and increase your visibility in front of recruiters and hiring managers. By engaging with key people in an organisation, you will be in the best position for the new year for interviews or potential employment offers, establish the type of company you would like to work for and the opportunities and culture on offer so you know the exact job opportunities you would consider, whether you reach out yourself, or through a recruiter.

Ensure you demonstrate how flexible you are

When it comes to the interview process, especially during the festive period where many will take annual leave and have other commitments, you need to demonstrate your flexibility to a prospective employer. If you are open to meeting outside of office hours, or even changing the day at short notice, you will give the impression you are willing to go the extra mile and be flexible for the business. Meeting face to face may not always be possible dependent on the location of the role and other factors, so remote interviews and meetings will allow the recruitment process to move forward. Being prepared and confident to present yourself in remote situations is key to making a great impression to recruiters or potential employers. Remote interviews are still a great opportunity to build rapport and have a two-way conversation between candidate and employer, while also allowing the recruitment process to move forward, so ensure you feel confident in your delivery in a remote interview setting.

Build your network and focus on your personal brand

Meeting with professionals in the industry, other influential figures or recruiters can be a great way to expand your network and make a great impression in person. Where networking is possible both in person and online, it can be a great way to increase your visibility to others in your field alongside the opportunity to build relationships. It’s also a great time to have impact across social media such as LinkedIn or any other platforms with good credibility in your industry sector. Share relevant content to your network, encourage and engage in conversations and demonstrate your expertise and knowledge of the market. When building your brand online, the key focus is to remain consistent, genuine and engaging.

Engage and partner with a specialist recruitment expert

Engaging with an expert recruiter is a huge advantage to enable a successful job search. An excellent recruiter will take the time to fully understand your needs, wants and the driving factors motivating your job search. Having support and guidance from an expert who knows your specialist market in detail, has strong networks and knowledge of organisations within the sector you operate is a great asset to your job search. Working alongside a recruiter will save you time, accelerate the process and present opportunities to you that you may not have had exposure to elsewhere.

When working with a specialist recruiter, you will have access to increased opportunities, with the potential to be introduced to a wide range of potential employers where your experience and skills are sought after. By building a strong relationship with your recruiter, they will know the most suitable and relevant businesses to reach out to based on your own preferences, interests and experience, opening up the number of opportunities available to you.

We recruit across a variety of sectors at CSG Talent, with specialist teams of consultants who are recruitment experts in their field. Predominantly, our teams recruit for roles across all business functions for leadership and senior level positions within Marketing, Sales, Operations, HR, Finance, Commercial, Engineering and Research to name a few.

At CSG Talent we are still actively supporting our clients with their growth plans for the end of 2023 and as we enter 2024, with businesses seeking top talent to join their organisation. 

Our recruitment experts provide in-depth industry advice and market insights, providing access to unique job opportunities not visible to the market or job boards due to strong partnerships with clients across the globe. Our team will represent you in the best way possible while guiding you through the recruitment process and search to find a new role with full transparency and confidentiality. 

Explore more about our candidate services here. If you’re looking to take on a new senior level role, please get in touch with a member of our expert recruitment team or check out our latest job vacancies within the sector you work within.

If you’re looking to enhance your job search and individual development, explore the content most relevant to your career development here.