There is a common misconception that job searching slows to a near stop between Thanksgiving and the New Year. However, Upwardly Global and other job search experts know that if employers and jobseekers buy into this myth, they are missing out on one of the most fruitful job hunting seasons.

Why?

• The holiday season brings reduced competition as other candidates take a break or enjoy vacation time. As a result, active candidates enjoy a smaller candidate pool, more attention, and easier access to decision-makers.
• People quit in December in order to spend time with their families and prepare for jobs they have accepted for the beginning of the year.
• Many companies have open positions that will lose funding if not filled by the end of the year. Others may be rolling out new initiatives in the next year and need to have a staff in place to get started.
• Recruiters and headhunters, paid on commission, are eager to get a few more placements for the year to increase their annual salaries.

Given that, here are some tips for jobseekers and recruiters to keep things moving during the holidays:

Don’t Assume: During the holidays recruiters assume candidates will not be responsive and candidates assume recruiters will not be responsive. In the meantime, both have a need to fill. Continue your searches with the same aggressiveness as you would during the rest of the year and you will find each other.

Network: The holidays present endless parties and social gatherings during which to network. Whether you are looking for a job or trying to fill a tough position, use these events as opportunities to put the word out on what you are looking for. People are even more willing to help during the holidays.

Be Flexible: The interviewing process will probably be slower during the holidays because people are more likely to be out of the office. Be flexible about when, where, and how often you are available to interview. Interviews may need to be scheduled in several visits in order to accommodate holiday schedules, and flexibility and patience will be key in getting through the process.

Set Goals: It is easy to get lazy during the holidays as things appear to slow down. It will benefit both jobseekers and recruiters to set goals for this time period to keep from being “sucked in” to the holiday job search mentality. For example, jobseekers should commit to doing one job search related activity a day.

Be Proactive: As schedules slow down a bit during the holiday, it is a great time to be proactive about sourcing candidates and opportunities. Jobseekers and recruiters should use this time to conduct informational interviews, even if job openings aren’t available. It is a great way to get strong candidates tee-ed up in the recruitment pipeline.