Use the Holidays to Your Advantage.

With the holidays in full swing, it doesn't mean your job search should be put on hold.

The most common time for individuals to search for a new job would be early January as a New Year's Resolution. Whether it be a relocation, a new step in your life, or simply you didn't get the promotion you were hoping for, most people opt for a life change following the new year.

What most individuals don't think about is that since everyone will be looking, it becomes highly competitive and by the time you lock something down, it will be March or April.

There are many reasons why the job search starts long before the ball drops but a few that you should keep in mind are:

1. Interview processes can take a long time.

If you start January 1st, a simple 3 step process could take 3 weeks. Then after that, the offer paperwork could take another week and before you know it, it will be February already.

2. The competition is fierce.

Remember the influx of participants at your Gym every January? It's the same thing when it comes to resumes that flood a recruiter's inbox. The number of applicants skyrocket after the new year and it may be harder to be noticed and to secure a job.

3. Budgets get reset.

For many companies, their fiscal year follows the calendar year in which the budgets left over from last year don't simply roll over like your minutes. They get taken away and redistributed so a role that was open might not be open anymore come January due to reallocation of funds. In turn this will cause you to wait even longer for your dream job.

We all know that job searching is a full time job so why not spend some time while hiding from your weird Uncle by working on your future. It will be a lot easier than trying to balance your day job and job search.

These are just some of the reasons why the holidays don't mean you have to put your life on hold.