What are the chances of finding a job on New Year's Eve?
Finding a job ahead of the New Years is fantastic. Companies already at the beginning of December are gripped by the pre-holiday excitement, interesting vacancies are "canned" until February, and employees and managers are in a hurry to take vacations, - this is how many job seekers reason. But is it really so?
Winter of our alarm
The well-known truth that job search is also work that must be performed regardless of mood and time of year is losing its relevance before the New Year holidays. Why knock on closed doors? After all, it cannot be denied that the labor market has its own cyclical nature, which must be taken into account in order to effectively distribute your efforts and time.
“As a rule, the periods from February to May and from September to December are considered the most productive time for finding a job of the year,” he said. Galina Sgonnik, head of the industrial direction of the personnel holding "Ankor"... - By the end of December, activity is dropping due to vacations and holidays. And before the new year, the chances of finding a job are much less than, for example, in October-November. "
However, according to experts, despite the decrease in activity on the labor market, it is by no means worth stopping the search.
Olga Gorokhova, Head of Human Resources, Societe Generale Vostok Bank, believes that talk about a decrease in the activity of employers is fair only for small companies, where all development processes are stretched out in time, and staff renewal is relatively rare. In large companies with more than a thousand people, the need for personnel exists all year round, and personnel services are constantly looking for candidates to fill vacancies. "
Ksenia Rodina, Director of the Recruitment Department of the EMG Professionals agency, I am sure that some employers, on the contrary, want to close vacancies as soon as possible and continue to recruit staff until the very last days of December.
“Such employers try to hire specialists or make offers to them so that employees can start working immediately after the New Year holidays. Usually these are companies where there are certain projects, for which candidates are selected, time constraints, production launch and some other nuances. "
According to the expert, the selection stops only in those companies where everything goes according to plan and there are no urgent tasks. “Indeed, in such organizations in the last decade of December, HR departments, as a rule, are more focused on events related to the New Year holidays: corporate parties, congratulations to partners and clients.
But the work of agencies for the search and selection of specialists does not stop even at this time. And the meetings of candidates with the employer and the next stages of interviews are just postponed. "
Turn lemons into lemonade
Career consultants assure: there is no ideal time to find a job, the best time is now. Everyone can wait for a convenient moment and take advantage of the situation, but being able to turn the disadvantages of a situation into advantages is the privilege of the most worthy candidates. After all, one has only to discard all stereotypes, and the undeniable advantages in finding a job on New Year's Eve will become noticeable.
1) Less competition
Recruiters are convinced that due to the fact that job seekers are subject to various stereotypes, many employers face a shortage of personnel in the pre-holiday period. Therefore, especially during the winter calm period, it is worth being even more active in the matter of your own employment. Competition in the labor market during the holiday and vacation season is noticeably reduced, and the chances of the most persistent candidates increase significantly.
2) The ability to easily get up to speed
Aside from less competition, there is another significant advantage in finding a job ahead of the holidays. In the case of successful employment, right after the holidays, when many take additional days off, and the work process is only entering the usual rhythm for a week or a half, it is easier for a newcomer to understand the current situation and have time to get used to the new team before the start of the active working season.
Seasonal acceleration
Finding a job (even when employers are at the peak of their activity) is a rather laborious process, therefore, during the “calm” season, candidates need to be prepared in advance for the fact that employment may require even more effort and time.
“According to many years of observations, people who went to work in September started looking for work and contacts with agencies, as a rule, 2-3 months ago (the average duration of an order to find a specialist or manager is 70-90 days),” comments Galina Sgonnik... “That is, the results of September are orders from customers in June-August, and often even earlier.”
“Therefore, if you start looking for a job in December, it’s better to hurry up,” advises Olga Gorokhova... - The last week of December is definitely not the best time to start interviews, because for objective reasons they will be completed only in mid-January after the long New Year holidays. The process of selection and admission of candidates is slow, so it is better to start with a large amount of time. "
“If you sent your resume for the positions you are interested in during the New Year holidays, be sure to send it again after their end. And also make sure that the resume was delivered to the addressee, continues Ksenia Rodina... - If an employer posts a vacancy before the New Year holidays on the 30th of December in order to collect resume or information on the market, then, most likely, he will not have time to process the received materials right away. And during the New Year holidays, a huge number of letters will accumulate, and there is a possibility that your resume will get lost in a large volume of incoming correspondence. "
New year - with a new job
We hope that now your pre-New Year job search will be crowned with success. After all, as he believes Galina Sgonnik, The “dead” season for job search is a very relative concept and only partly true, and your chance to find a job can be realized even in this seemingly not the most favorable period.
Still from the movie "Bridget Jones's Diary"To draw a line, make a wish list, promise yourself to lose a couple of kilograms - all these are traditional must-do at the end of the year. But what to do if there is a desire to radically change life right here and now, and you have decided to start from work ─ explains Natalya Koroleva, senior consultant of the Lux & Media direction of the recruiting company Hays.
On the one hand, changing jobs at the end of the year seems like a very logical decision: this is a good reason to draw a line in your career development and calculate your "final points". In addition, the principle "start a new life on Monday" works here. But there is one important point that should not be overlooked. By the end of the year, we have accumulated fatigue, including from the current place of work. This is completely normal. Trust me, most of your colleagues go through similar experiences. If so, I would not advise you to immediately think about changing jobs - with the normal course of events, your apathetic moods will pass by the beginning of February. But if this desire has been maturing for more than a month, you can start looking for options and consider proposals.
Postpone until February
If you seriously intend to change the company, it is better to think about looking for a new job in advance - in August-September. Selection stages are not a quick process, especially if we are talking about leadership positions. A series of tests and interviews with different levels of management and headquarters (in the case of an international company) can take several months. Nobody will tell you the exact dates, but you should not rely on the fact that everything will be decided in a couple of weeks. Moreover, in January.
If we talk about market activity by the end of the year, it is strongly dependent on the economic situation and the results of companies. Of course, the number of offers by the very period of the holidays is decreasing, since top management often takes vacations, and Western colleagues leave for the holidays even earlier than we do. Therefore, if the goal is to look at the market, it is better to set yourself up that a new active period will begin in February. But nothing prevents you from monitoring the situation and keeping your finger on the pulse. If suddenly the “dream company” starts searching in December, you will be the first to know about it.
Don't miss out on the annual bonus
Moving to a new place in late December - early January is not so simple, you can stumble upon pitfalls that you might not have thought about when you were in a hurry to enter next year with new career opportunities. Many large companies pay a fairly large annual merit bonus at the end of the year that you might be missing out on. If, despite this, you are not eager to stay at work and are in a hurry to move, this can be a wake-up call for a new potential employer: perhaps everything is not very good at your current place or you have not met the necessary indicators to receive a bonus. If, while accepting the offer, you realized “What about my bonus?”, Do not despair and talk to a potential employer. Host companies, as a rule, are sympathetic to the desire to receive a well-deserved bonus and start a new job in January.
Or do you decide?
If your company does not have the practice of annual bonuses, it is still better to agree to go to work at the end of the year - in the December hurricane it will be easier to get involved in the business, get to know the team, make plans for the next year, understand the logic of decision-making in the company, and the New Year a corporate party can be an excellent step towards getting closer to future colleagues and immersion in corporate culture.
Usually, companies conduct a review at this time - summarize the results, discuss opportunities, plan a budget. The host company understands that the candidate can use the offer as an opportunity to discuss with the current employer their opportunities in the current company. Remember that a potential employer also weighs the risks and may be careful about making an offer during this period.
Several important steps from Natalia Koroleva
Step 1. Honestly answer the question, what is the reason for your desire to change jobs.
If you do not understand the reasons, you may find yourself in a situation where you received an offer and suddenly thought: "Maybe this is just a series of bad days?" My experience shows that the impulse that prompts you to look for a new job does not just happen, it is always the result of insufficient motivation, dissatisfaction, a career ceiling in the current company, etc. And if now it seemed to you that you were just tired, after the conditional six months this desire will most likely arise again.
Step 2. Decide what you need.
This applies to the sphere, and career development, and salary expectations, ─ everything. The more clearly you define all of your goals, the more likely it is that you will finally hit your dream job in the new year.
Step 3. Develop a search strategy.
The search itself is a methodical process. HH.ru is one of the most widespread resources. If you have little experience, your position is intermediate or entry-level, then be sure to update your resume. This will help to collect more information about different markets and offers, you will be found faster and interaction will be more effective.
If you are in a leadership position, it is worth contacting a familiar consultant from a recruiting company, so that your request will be correctly understood and hundreds of phone calls will not follow with offers that you are unlikely to be interested in. In our age of digitalization, often search and communication with candidates occurs through Facebook, this is a very fast way of communication. Therefore, I recommend that you indicate the current position on your profile page. This will increase the chances that you will be found and offered something worthwhile. Until recently, LinkedIn was also popular, now there are restrictions on its use. But better create a page there.
It's better to end your relationship with your current employer on a positive note - you never know what might happen tomorrow. If you realize you are letting your coworkers down by leaving, talk to the host company. Most likely, they will meet halfway, and this step will characterize you as a responsible employee, and will only once again convince the new employer of the correctness of his decision.
New Year's holidays are just around the corner. Does it make sense now to continue active job searches, or is it better to postpone them until "after the holidays"? “Working for You” asked HR-managers of well-known companies about this.
Marina Lashtabega, HR manager of the PROPLEX window systems manufacturer:
A job is always worth looking for. It is a myth that on New Year's Eve the demand for staff is greatly reduced. But because of this misconception, most HR professionals face a serious shortage of job seekers before the holidays. Therefore, candidates should take advantage of the current labor market situation and the opportunity to be in a better position. In addition, the willingness to come for an interview on the eve of the holidays characterizes you as a purposeful and responsible person. So don't miss your chance to take the desired position.
Ekaterina Tikhvinskaya, HR Director, CJSC Uponor Rus:
They say on New Year's Eve
Whatever you want -
Everything will always happen
Everything always comes true ...
But seriously, it all depends on how urgently the work is needed. Basically, December and January are considered “dead” months for employment or new hires. Therefore, making serious plans is hardly worth it. But if, due to circumstances, you find yourself without a livelihood, then look for a new place and look actively.
If you are thinking of changing jobs in February-March next year, you need to start now: write a competent resume, look at the relevant vacancies, decide on your desires. With such a responsible approach to business, you will then spend much less time to achieve the final result - successful employment.
Anna Koshkina, Head of Personnel Selection, Adaptation and Evaluation at Delikatny Moving CJSC:
There is a widespread belief that looking for a job on New Year's Eve or, for example, in the summer is not worth it, since there are few offers on the market, and in this regard, many job seekers suspend their active actions. But from my own experience, I can say that the need for new employees before the winter holidays is exactly the same as during normal times, and often even more. Indeed, often at the beginning of the first quarter, new projects are launched in many companies, and already now a team is being recruited for them. Again, a relaxed New Year's Eve environment makes the new employee easier and faster to fit into the team. Continue your active search, because competition in the labor market during the vacation and vacation seasons decreases, therefore the chances of those who remain active increase several times.
Read the answers of other HR managers in "Working for You" (No. 101 dated 12/23/13). All newspaper numbers are available
Should you start looking for a job before the New Year?
To many, this question will seem strange: isn't it better at this time to take care of gifts and where to send the children for the winter holidays? Most people who decide to change their lives from the new year really prefer to calmly finish December in their usual team, and only from the second half of January start thinking about “changing places”.
| But sometimes the need for a pre-New Year job search is caused not by the desire of the applicant, but by circumstances beyond his control: staff reduction; information about the company's development plans for the next year (which may not provide for a salary increase or career growth); conflicts with colleagues or with management, etc.
The activity of employers in December, as a rule, decreases: preparations for New Year's corporate parties are actively underway, annual reports are submitted, it is time to pay the 13th salaries and bonuses - is it worth hiring new employees? In addition, in December-January, business in Russia traditionally freezes and the financial position of many companies deteriorates. |
- low competition of job seekers in the labor market;
- some employers are interested in starting the year with a completed workforce (this is especially true if a new project is planned from January;
- Once you get a job in December, you will be able to attend final annual meetings of the company, which will give you the opportunity to learn a lot about it and its plans for the next year;
- New Year's corporate events will allow you to get acquainted with colleagues and get an idea of the corporate culture in an informal setting;
- without having worked even a month, in January you will receive a week's paid vacation.
The success of the pre-New Year job search also depends on where the applicant applies, what working conditions he agrees to and, of course, on the vacancies for which he applies. You will be welcomed with open arms:
- in the hotel, restaurant, tourism and service sectors;
- in recruiting agencies that are engaged in the recruitment of temporary personnel in the production area with a continuous cycle of work. It depends only on you whether temporary work will become permanent;
- in small private companies, which often have a fever at the end of the year;
- in reputable firms that have been working on the market for a long time, which steadily recruit staff throughout the year.
By the way, if you are hired in December, then it is quite possible that you will have to start your duties only from January! And you will meet the New Year and Christmas days in a good mood and confidence in your future.
Larisa Kupriyanchik
As you know, a real careerist begins to "look" for a new job almost immediately after the probationary period at the current place passes. Even if everything is going well at the moment, who knows if circumstances will change. And it’s a sin for a specialist to forget about new perspectives and expanding his own skills.
Personnel officers adhere to the same opinion: they do not respect "flyers", but they also treat an employee who has held out in one place for more than three years as "overdue" and somewhat lagging behind in professional development. The moral of this fable is disappointing for lovers of stability - every three years you need to change jobs, even if everything is OK with you now and your boss promises an increase in your salary. Therefore, it turns out that at a time when all normal people are preparing a corporate party program and planning a menu for the family New Year's table, some workers persistently post their resumes on job-oriented websites and go to interviews. At first glance, their ardor is wasted - really the bosses have nothing more to do than to recruit staff on New Year's Eve. In addition, holidays are paid, so it is appropriate to sit out at your old job, getting your legitimate money. Here the country emerges from a series of New Year's festivities and feasts lasting almost a month - then it's worth moving. According to a number of studies, more than 10% of employees decide to leave work just before the New Year, but no more than 0.03% undertake to realize it. In fact, those who think like this make a big mistake.
HR specialists have noticed one very interesting trend for several years now. Despite the fact that on the eve of the New Year, the general upbeat holiday mood does not seem to contribute to the renewal of the staff, employers are unusually active by December. According to the data of the majority of Internet services on the relevant topic, in the last working week, 25-40% more vacancies were posted on the sites than usual. And in the first two working weeks of 2008 - by the same amount less than the average for the year. On the contrary, the number of those wishing to get off the ground, entering the new year with a new job is small - according to the statistics of the same Internet resources, the number of posted resumes in the New Year's weeks tends to a minimum. But after the old New Year, when the entire working population of Russia takes up their minds and remembers their work duties, the number of those wishing to change on the career front is growing sharply. For example, on the SuperJob.ru website alone, 8723 resumes were posted in the week from January 9 to 16. While usually their number does not exceed 4-5 thousand.
You can make assumptions about what this is connected with. On the one hand, many employers are preparing the start of new projects in the new year, and the team for such projects must be staffed in advance. Starting from the new year, orders on the expansion of staff are usually signed, which again implies the presence, if not of a ready-made candidate, then at least applicants for the position. In the end, the end and very beginning of the year, with its relatively relaxed work environment, is a good time to give a new employee time to fit into the team, to enter the circle of responsibilities without fuss and hassle, and finally to experience it in an informal setting. “Imagine, I just went to work - and immediately a corporate party,” a friend complains. “I’m not at all in the subject: who, with whom, against whom, and how to behave, I can’t imagine.” Indeed, for those who have not yet had time to enter the course of office intrigue and undercover struggle, it is not difficult to get into a mess. Even how to dress for such a holiday in a new office is not clear. Either ballroom dancing is expected, or just a disco where crinolines will look out of place.
On the other hand, workers after long vacations tend to be gripped by a thirst for change. After resting and relaxing, you begin to see the usual work "in a new light" and understand that there is nothing to catch here. Guides on "how to survive at work after the holidays" are replete with the entire Web, but that doesn't make it any easier. Realizing that it is necessary to move on, and the current place is simply disgusted, employees throw statements on the table to their superiors and begin to actively scatter resumes across websites and recruitment agencies. So the work is added to personnel officers and HR-managers.
The above is also true for people of blue-collar occupations. Movers, for example, leave in droves before the New Year: in the second half of December they have less work, and, unable to withstand this indulgence, they indulge in all seriousness, or even skip altogether. I have to write statements of my own free will. But bartenders and waiters, as a rule, do not rush to work before the holidays - at this time their tips are much higher than usual. The same applies to sellers, who "make" monthly receipts during the New Year holidays.
But especially valuable qualified employees, as a rule, middle and top managers, receive bonuses at the end of the year. The amount of such bonuses can exceed several monthly salaries. And until they are received, such personnel will not budge, no matter how tempting offers are tempted by new employers. There are cases when companies, in order to outbid especially promising employees they needed, even partially compensated them for the payment of annual bonuses. Typically, these bonuses are usually paid in the spring, at the end of the financial year. Thus, employers insure themselves against the fact that an employee on whom a key area of work depends will suddenly go to competitors. True, employees, on whom the fate of the company does not depend, can leave in January in search of completely free. And suddenly luck will smile: you will find yourself in the place where you planned to hire a more highly qualified specialist. Just because the obviously more successful competitor stayed at the old job to wait for his bonus. Further, as it should be, will depend only on you.
However, it is naive to deceive: a real "job fair" where you can sell yourself at a higher price or find a truly valuable employee for reasonable money will not begin until February. Just at this time of the year, the start of the main projects is planned, and the main activity on the labor market will not begin until spring. Another thing is that by this time the "castling" of personnel should have already been made, so it makes sense to hurry up.
At the same time, looking for a new job at the beginning of the year is not beneficial for everyone. Personnel officers give advice: for people of some specialties to rush in January in search of new labor happiness is not only useless, but also harmful. For example, before summing up the results of the financial year, accountants should not be frustrated: few employers agree to hire even a very good specialist who substituted the previous company at such a crucial moment. It is difficult to carry out a post-New Year job search for those whose activities are related to planning for the next year. Here the situation is the same - first, write down the activities of your department for the reporting period, then welcome to the new location. But for those whose project has been completed by the end of the year or its next stage has ended, it's time to enter the job market.
And, of course, it is important to adhere to accepted ethical principles. They are different in each company, but there are still some common ones. You need to give the management time to find you a worthy replacement, if possible, to bring the successor up to date, to complete previously started projects. You need to notify your business partners about a job change: most likely, these connections will be useful to you in the future. There are, of course, dramatic collisions. After the application for resignation, the employee may be piled up to the maximum, and the last salary may not be paid, or only the official part of it may be paid. At the same time, colleagues will hiss in the back for the remaining time, denouncing the "traitor" who has chased a long ruble.
