As the calendar approaches the holiday season, many job seekers perceive this interval as a lull in recruitment activity, marked by numerous out-of-office email replies and reduced corporate operations. However, this apparent quietude can be harnessed as a unique opportunity for networking, according to career advisors and recruitment experts. Instead of deferring job search efforts until the beginning of the calendar year, the slower pace characteristic of the holidays can provide an ideal context to reconnect with professional contacts and plant the seeds for employment prospects in the upcoming months.
Holiday greetings as a professional icebreaker
One practical advantage of the holiday period is the socially appropriate pretext it offers for making contact. Sending a holiday wish—whether by email, text, LinkedIn message, or even a physical card—allows job candidates to engage with industry peers without appearing abrupt or intrusive. Amanda Augustine, a career specialist affiliated with TopResume, explains that such greetings can serve as a gentle introduction to rekindling conversations that might lead to scheduling meetings or calls in the new year.
"Extending holiday wishes presents a natural and organic gateway to establishing a dialogue, which can then be followed by arranging a call or a face-to-face meeting," Augustine remarks.
Capitalizing on reduced workplace activity
The holiday season frequently sees a decrease in regular work commitments, with fewer scheduled meetings and lighter workloads. This shift can mean that a message sent during this timeframe receives greater attention and is met with a more receptive mindset among recruiters or hiring managers who may otherwise be inundated during busier periods. Such a context can foster a more meaningful exchange and increase the likelihood of being remembered when positions open in the new year.
Augmenting this approach, Augustine suggests that a well-timed holiday correspondence should accompany a brief update on one’s professional developments and an indication of continued interest in specific roles. An illustrative case involves one of Augustine’s clients who carefully compiled a list of recruiters with whom she had previously established substantial rapport. She sent them concise holiday emails that reaffirmed her career focus and gently prompted the recruiters to keep her in mind for future job opportunities.
Such communications, as Augustine notes, are effective when balanced to avoid a pushy tone while still reaffirming professional aspirations.
The importance of concise messaging
Key to successful outreach during the holidays is brevity. Augustine emphasizes that extended narratives are counterproductive. She advises job seekers to begin their message with warm holiday wishes directed to the recipient and their family. Following this, a succinct acknowledgment of the time elapsed since the last interaction can personalize the note. A compact update on relevant activities, such as participation in skill-enhancing courses or current job targets, should then be shared. The message might close with a polite request that the recipient keep the sender in mind for any potential openings, finishing with an additional holiday greeting.
This approach ensures that when January arrives, the job seeker is not an unfamiliar contact but someone who has just recently compared notes, rendering follow-up interactions more natural.
Challenges and potential timing issues
Despite these advantages, there are inherent risks. Peter Duris, CEO of Kickresume, a career platform powered by artificial intelligence, notes that recipients may be offline during the holidays, leading to messages being overlooked amid the end-of-year influx of communication. Nonetheless, if the outreach is timed to reach the right person at an opportune moment, it can serve as a critical step in building momentum for job seeking efforts in the coming year.
Duris additionally highlights that holiday networking demonstrates enthusiasm and perseverance, qualities valued by employers. He recalls interviewing a candidate during the holiday season who made herself available for a discussion despite the proximity to Christmas, interpreting this as a positive indicator of work ethic.
Networking practice in informal settings
For those who find professional networking daunting, holiday parties offer a less formal environment to sharpen communication skills. Augustine advises leveraging these gatherings as platforms to practice articulating one’s career interests, current activities, and future goals. These occasions provide an informal yet effective context to develop conversations that may open doors later.
Such social settings allow individuals to engage authentically, reducing the pressure associated with conventional networking events and enabling the development of confident dialogue about professional aspirations.
In sum, while the holiday period may seem like a time to step back from job search activities, proactive and targeted engagement during this quieter season can yield significant networking advantages, setting the stage for opportunities in the new year.