Pound the pavement while others are out partying

For the 2.46 million workers unemployed, this Christmas presents the perfect reason to loosen the tie and hang up the interview suit for a few weeks fuelled by the false belief that ‘no one hires during December’, particularly when half of British companies will be nursing their heads after Christmas parties.

But according to TheLadders.co.uk, the careers site for Britian’s senior executives, pounding the pavement now may make the difference between starting 2010 settling into a new position and competing for one with the hordes of job-seekers who slacked their search for the festivities.

“It’s a myth that no jobs get filled during the last six weeks of the year”, said Derek Pilcher,managing director of TheLadders.co.uk, which lists many of the UK’s £50K plus positions.

“January is the busiest job hunting time of the year, but the people who are hired in January are usually those who applied and interviewed in prior months. You don’t hire somebody on January 5 that you met on January 3, you hire somebody you met in November or December," Pilcher said.

To help job-seekers pounding the pavements this festive season, TheLadders.co.uk has developed a series of tips designed to secure that new position for the New Year:

• Create your 2010 CV: Look back over 2009 and what has happened in your career. What have you learned from your experience and what new skills have you acquired. Update your CV so you can translate even the most recent experiences into opportunities for 2010.
• The Pre-Christmas Push: Companies with open jobs will often push to fill them before year end, especially if there is any concern about losing positions in next year’s budget, so review all jobs you have seen advertised and/or applied for over the last four weeks. Follow them up and close the opportunities.
• Leave no stone unturned: There are jobs out there and a deadline to fill them. Ensure that you use every available avenue – personal contacts, the web, agencies to leave no stone unturned.
• Make the Most of Party Season: Christmas is all about parties and what better place to network and spread the word about your skills. This may present new opportunities for 2010 or even secure an interview for the perfect position. Who knows the first interview you get in the New Year could be from the Christmas party.
• Stay focused. It will be hard to keep your head when all about are losing theirs, but staying focused, even between Christmas and New Year will mean that yours may be the call that reaches the boss whilst the PA is away. Don’t lose sight of the opportunity that less competition presents.

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