I’m hearing a lot of people say they’re winding down their job searches for December.

They anticipate a quiet market in the run up to Christmas.

And yes, fewer employers will recruit - because they don’t want the break to interrupt recruitment over Christmas shutdown.

But let me tell you this - the proactive employers who know how to hire, will plan to close out their recruitment processes before the Christmas break.

Which means any new vacancies you see that aren’t fake, may well be higher quality, on average, than normal.

Because these are employers with the agency to get things done.

While if you take action, with other job seekers assuming nothing will happen, you might just get your nose ahead for that reason alone.

I’ve a great new vacancy, which went live today, and potentially one or two others to come in the next week. And I plan to close them out by what’s been the day with the highest density of offers for me in my recruitment career: Christmas Eve (or the day before Christmas break).

It used to be that recruitment was predictably cyclical.

Holiday periods dead. One week to catch up. Then a surge.

Two things have happened since 2020 which changes part of this status quo:

The first means there have been peaks at unusual times. The second means greater flexibility in diaries allowing interviews in what were less popular times.

It’s not the whole market - many are still driven by habit, over efficiency.

But it does raise one key point:

Assume nothing.

Don’t fall back on the habit of previous years, or assume what happened then informs what happens now.

After all, I’ve no doubt your job search this year is very different too.

Instead be accountable for what you do apply for, and act on any of the fewer, higher stakes jobs you do come across.

Who knows what might happen?

Have a great December!

Greg