Laid off during the holidays? Don’t panic. This can be a great time to advance your career.

For one thing, recruiters and human-resources managers tend to have more time to answer emails and read resumes when their colleagues are out of the office in December, he said. 

“Reach out to these decision-makers about the job you applied for. This shows interest and tenacity and keeps you as a contender in their options,” wrote Gill, the global head of talent acquisition at cargo-partner, a global transportation and logistics firm.

Companies often pause hiring in December, but job seekers can still make career moves.

To be sure, there are some harsh realities about job prospects in December. Employers know that workers — including those in the departments involved in hiring — will be taking days off, so it’s often a time when companies pause long-term hiring plans, said Julia Pollak, chief economist at the online recruiting and job-search platform ZipRecruiter. 

Layoffs are common in December because companies are often making adjustments to their budgets as they head into the new year, she said. December, along with November and February, tend to be months when the number of people looking for work surpasses the number of new job openings, according to ZipRecruiter. 

That means job seekers could face more competition at this time of year. “You have a bunch of people hitting the market at the same time who are unemployed and looking at the same time that employers are pulling back,” Pollak said. 

But new jobs can pop up and recruiters could reach out

But the fact that employers are often scrutinizing their budgets at this time can also create unexpected opportunities. Companies will sometimes want to move quickly to fill positions if they have pre-allocated budget money that will go away if it’s not used up. Roles can also appear quickly in industries that are heavily impacted by the holiday shopping season, such as retail and logistics, labor experts said. 

“Often companies have to hire in a pinch, but their more deliberate hiring takes place typically on a different timeline,” Pollak said.

When recruiters have to act fast, the end of the year is an ideal time for them to reach out and reconnect with candidates they’re interested in, so if you’re a job seeker, keep an eye on your inbox, Gill told MarketWatch in an interview.

“My peer group and definitely my talent acquisition team globally, are fully aware that the holiday season is a great time to reconnect with candidates that you may have spoken to three, four months ago,” Gill said.

Many companies are in holiday mode at this time of year, which makes candidates that he and his colleagues are interested in more likely to be available, Gill said. They are often at home and with their families, instead of in team calls at work. 

Asking this question when networking can pay off

It’s understandable that people might feel awkward contacting their professional network during the holiday season, especially if they’re looking for a job and they’re reaching out to people they haven’t talked to for years. To solve this problem, make sure you take it slow, said J.T. O’Donnell, CEO of Work It Daily, an online job-search and coaching platform. Don’t start right off by asking if their company has any openings, she said.

“Let’s think about the first step, which is just to reconnect,” she said. Use this time of the year to check in and send regards, which is the key to getting the conversation flowing later. 

O’Donnell says there’s one starter question that can make both parties feel inspired by the conversation, whether it’s a phone call or a coffee. Ask: “What’s the most exciting and wonderful thing that happened in your career in 2023?”

That question can pay off in more ways than one, she said. “They get to tell a story about something awesome that happened to them as it relates to work in 2023, but through that storytelling, they positively associate with you for asking about that, and that further helps reinforce the relationship,”  O’Donnell told MarketWatch. “Plus you’re going to remember something really cool.” 

How to use December to help your career flourish

While landing an actual job can be difficult in December, it’s well worth your time to make some indirect career moves by leveraging your network, according to recruiters and career coaches.

True, people may be less focused on work and spending more time with their families at this time of year. But that’s why job seekers can easily do “the kind of job networking that doesn’t look like networking, or feel like networking,” as Pollak put it. 

For example, you can build relationships and networks by sending out holiday cards or notes, inviting people to holiday parties or even attending holiday events yourself. Sometimes companies invite potential hires to their holiday parties, she added. 

People are often in a better mood in December and may feel more receptive, friendly, and helpful, said Gill, who’s worked in recruiting for more than 20 years. Recruiters may also be more likely to notice your outreach efforts at this time of year, especially if you send a well-written check-in note, he continued.

“This is one competitive advantage that will probably disappear in January when all the herds come back in,” Gill said. “The mindset switches and that mood changes.”

See also: Why Americans may not be so grateful for a strong job market