How Job Seekers Can Keep Momentum Between Christmas and New Year’s
There’s a strange in-between period for job seekers every year—the days between Christmas and January.
Things feel quiet. Hiring slows. And if you’re actively searching, it can feel uncomfortable.
You want to make progress, but you’re not quite sure how.
The good news is that you don’t have to lose momentum during this time. In fact, the next week or two can be one of the most valuable periods of your job search if you use it intentionally. This is the perfect opportunity to reset, refine your strategy, and put yourself in a strong position for when January hiring ramps up.
Here’s where to focus your energy.
Refresh Your Resume
Your resume should clearly market you for a specific role. At a glance (within 30 seconds) it should be obvious:
What role you’re targeting
How you’re positioned
What you’ve achieved
Pay close attention to:
Your summary
Your most recent role
Your skills section
The overall information hierarchy of the document
Small changes here can make a big difference, especially when recruiters are reviewing resumes quickly once hiring resumes in January.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
This is a great time to review your LinkedIn headline and About section and make sure they clearly reflect what you do and the roles you’re targeting.
Your About section, in particular, should surface the information recruiters are looking for right away:
Years of experience
Industries you’ve worked in
One or two strong, relevant achievements
Aim to include this within the first three lines, since that’s what shows before someone clicks “see more.”
Reconnect With Your Network
Use this quieter period to get organized. Start putting together a list of people you want to reconnect with in the new year.
Create a list of 10–20 contacts you know well and group them by:
Personal contacts
Former colleagues
Second-degree connections
Draft tailored messages for each group now, so you’re not scrambling later. Plan to send these messages in the second week of January, and consider including a Calendly link to make scheduling easy.
Follow Up With Recruiters
This is also an ideal time to follow up with recruiters, hiring managers, or anyone who asked you to reconnect in the new year.
Draft your follow-up emails now. You can always schedule them to send next week or the week after. These touchpoints help keep you top of mind as teams finalize budgets and reopen roles.
Reflect on Your Job Search
Reflection is one of the most powerful and underused job search tools.
Look back at what’s worked well and what hasn’t. Then rebalance where you’re spending your time.
One question I always ask job seekers is:
“Where are you hitting roadblocks in your job search?”
If you’re not getting interviews, your resume or the roles you’re applying to likely need adjustment.
If you’re getting interviews but not passing the hiring manager screen, interview preparation and practice need attention.
This kind of honest assessment can save you months of frustration.
And Finally, Give Yourself Permission to Rest
You’ve worked hard all year. If you’re here, reading this and thinking about how to improve your job search, your motivation already shows through your effort.
Use this time to recharge without guilt. Rest is not losing momentum—it’s preparing for the next push.
January will be here soon, and you’ll be ready. You’ve got this!
