The Thanksgiving-to-New Year period is a great time to set yourself up for a quick job search in the new year. Yes, hiring slows down at many organizations, and many executives take time off, so you’ll see fewer interviews and job offers. BUT those in the office have more time to read your email and speak with you. So, if you’re thinking of making a career move internally or externally, take the opportunity now to get on the radar of leaders who will be making hiring decisions in early 2026.
On a related note, when you’re reaching out to someone in your network whom you don’t know well/at all to request an informational meeting, request or follow up on an introduction, or simply let them know about your search in case they hear something, use these two best practices to improve your response rate.
Don’t make your email too short. Yes, be concise, but jobseekers from executives on down, in the service of “keeping it short,” often don’t make themselves interesting enough to talk to. I’ve seen countless times over many years the improvement in response when jobseekers add a pitch that differentiates them and includes two to five resonant, bulleted accomplishments.
Prioritize emails ahead of LinkedIn messages. From client experiences, emails to those you don’t (or hardly) know generally receive far more responses than LinkedIn messages as long as the subject line and initial sentences are compelling. The first seven links in this section of my website can help you find email addresses (or click on the “Resources” tab on my website and then select “Utilities…”).
December: A Great Month To Advance Your Career – Here’s How
December 10, 2025 by Robert Hellmann • Resume, LinkedIn, self-promo
The Thanksgiving-to-New Year period is a great time to set yourself up for a quick job search in the new year. Yes, hiring slows down at many organizations, and many executives take time off, so you’ll see fewer interviews and job offers. BUT those in the office have more time to read your email and speak with you. So, if you’re thinking of making a career move internally or externally, take the opportunity now to get on the radar of leaders who will be making hiring decisions in early 2026.
Also, use this time to create the “infrastructure” for a fast 2026 search, e.g., your job search marketing plan, contact management system, etc.
On a related note, when you’re reaching out to someone in your network whom you don’t know well/at all to request an informational meeting, request or follow up on an introduction, or simply let them know about your search in case they hear something, use these two best practices to improve your response rate.