As Christmas trees and menorahs bedeck the nation, many people are turning out the lights on their job search -- at least until next year.
But candidates could be making a big mistake by taking a breather during the holidays.
"Don't give way to the temptation that nobody is hiring now," said John Challenger, founder of the Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "It's easy to say, 'I'll let this thing lapse for a while.' Nothing could be worse."
In fact, some firms may be in a rush to hire because they have open jobs they need to fill by Dec. 31 or they will lose those slots for budget reasons, said Laura McCarthy, a technology recruiter at Qualified Search Inc. in Herndon. Other companies may be looking for fresh workers because they will have more cash to spend once their new fiscal year begins in January, she said.
There is no doubt that it is tempting to take a few weeks off to devote to family and holiday activities, especially after enduring the stress that comes with job loss.
"The people that have decent severance packages are the ones that aren't looking," McCarthy said.
And there are a fair number of obstacles to conducting a job search around this time. Personnel officers and hiring managers are away on vacation, making it difficult to schedule interviews. Plus, fewer companies place help-wanted ads, in part because there are so many candidates looking for work.
Yet some market observers predict there will be even more competition early next year from workers who will be on the move as soon as their 2001 bonuses are in hand or from those whose companies wait until after the holidays to announce layoffs. Recruiter Kerry Moynihan, for one, expects that many job cuts will take place in early January.
"There are lots and lots of résumés coming over the transom, and that flow is going to turn into a flood after January 1," said Moynihan, a managing director at Christian & Timbers in Tysons Corner.
Lynn James isn't going to wait to find out whether that happens.
