taking charge™

The holidays are a good time to take a break from your job search, right?

Wrong!

Here are five reasons why you should speed up your search, rather than slow it down:

1. For a lot of hiring executives, their 2010 budgets are set in stone now.   They need to hire in December to fill those positions they (finally) have budgeted in 2010.  

2. For a lot of hiring executives, if they don't spend what's left of their 2009 budget, they lose it for 2010.   Can anyone say "hiring bonus"?

3. Many hiring executives curb their travel schedules during the holidays, so it will be possible to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of your networking.

4. A lot of executives and professionals in transition believe the myth and have halted their searches during the holidays.   With less competition, you have a leg up.

5. Holiday spirit makes many people more open to meeting new people (think networking), more generous with their time and money (networking and negotiating), and generally more open to change (making a hiring decision).

Keep that search going.  You may have a new job by the new year!