Applying for jobs in December, why bother?

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January and February are two of the best months for recruitment, with postings for many new roles. Recruiters are busy booking interviews to secure new hires for their organisations. So, why would you not wait until then and take December off from the job hunt?

As we are in full festive spirit in Denmark, there’s always this conversation about whether it’s worth applying for jobs. Surely HR has temporarily stopped hiring and new budgets are in place from January, so why bother applying? Let me share a few tips about how to use the next couple of weeks to maximise your chances in your job search.

Save the recruiter time and money!

Apply unsolicited – create an opportunity

Take the time to revisit your target list of companies and see where you can send in an unsolicited application. Applying unsolicited in December gives the recruiter time to look through your offer and consider you for one of the roles due to be filled in 2025. Do your research. Who is currently doing your role? Where are the growth areas in the business? Where can you add your unique skills and experience to the team? Hiring is expensive, so make it easy for the hiring manager and tell them why you would be a good fit for their organisation.

What roles traditionally hire in December?

Look out for temporary jobs that might fall outside your professional sphere but help pay the bills! Extra visitors arrive over December, and there are many customer-facing jobs that need filling. It’s not ideally what you want, but it’s temporary, and you get to network. Use every opportunity.

Certain industries always recruit in December, like finance. The financial sector often looks for new hires during December in readiness for the new tax season. Again, check your targeted list and see who is hiring – even if it’s a short-term contract.

Does your CV have the wow factor?

Does your CV need an overhaul? If you aren’t getting interviews, look at what you are including in your CV. It needs to be tailored to each organisation, and very clear about what you are offering and why they should take you to the interview stage. I have spoken to so many job seekers over 2024, telling me their CV is fine, but they haven’t had an interview or very few versus the number of applications. A recruiter will always read your CV first, so never send the same CV to every organisation and spend time creating the ‘wow’ factor in your introduction so they will want to read further.

Go to as many events as you can

Networking in December is easy! So many events covering every topic and it doesn’t just have to be about your career or job search. If your partner or friend needs a plus one for their Christmas event, go along. Have your elevator pitch ready so that if anyone asks what you do, you can confidently summarise what you are looking for. Be laid back, enjoy the conversations and network, network, network! If you are an introvert, big deep breaths and find a few people talking, someone sitting on their phone (probably equally struggling) or standing in an open circle and go and join them. Just introduce yourself and listen - you don’t have to be the storyteller in the group.

Where can you upskill?

Take this time to review where you are in your job journey and start with having a ‘friendly view’ of the people doing the job you want in your targeted organisations. Can you match their skills? What experience do they have? Any tools they use that you could benefit from learning? Where can you upskill? For some of you, going back to full-time education might be the way forward and you will have a few months to get your application in for the relevant university or school.

If this year has been tough on you and your job search, think about what resources you can use to increase your chances. And remember, new year, new you! 2025 will be the year you land your dream job, and I’m here to support you.