Now is the best time to start looking for a new job as opposed to waiting for January 1 to make a New Years resolution to start your job search.

Ive seen people offered jobs on Christmas Eve and Ive seen people get job offers on New Years Eve, too. It does happen.

Granted, you probably wont see a new job nicely wrapped and under your tree on December 25 but the truth is that there a number of reasons why a Christmas job search can lead to a new job, especially if you have some time off during the holidays or if you work in a business that actually slows down during the holidays.

1. Companies that still have hiring budget will hire people before year end.

If a hiring manager has budget to hire a new staff member but has waited until the last minute to do so, they might try to hire that person before the end of the year when their budget for this year expires. If they dont make the hire by December 31, they could lose out on that budget money! If a company is planning for a big New Year, they might try to end this year by getting their ducks in a row so to speak by ensuring they have the proper staff in place this year rather than waiting until the new year. Dont assume everyone takes December off or that they dont have time to hire during this month. People hire staff during December, trust me.

2. Beat out the lazy people who give up early.

Lets face it, its not difficult to start winding down for the year on December 1 and feel like the year is already over. How many people do you know who spend more of their workdays Christmas shopping during the month of December than doing actual work? Some people start looking at the New Year before the current year is over and you can use this to your advantage. Dont believe for a second that all employers think like this, and that you cant get a job during December. This is a myth and its not true. As mentioned above, Ive seen job offers extended on Christmas Eve before people take a few days off for Christmas and Ive also seen job offers extended on New Years Eve before people go away to celebrate the New Year. Personally, the latest Ive received a job offer for one of my candidates was December 22. What a great way for that candidate (and me!) to end the year.

3. Use the Christmas holidays to take the next step in your career.

Hopefully, you are one of those people who constantly updates your resume so that you can quickly apply for jobs that arise without having to create one from scratch and risk missing the application cutoff date. The Christmas holidays are great but once the big day on December 25th has passed, many people get kind of bored after a few days off work especially if youre experiencing a White Christmas with lots of snow and ice outside and you waited too late to book the New Years cruise to the Caribbean. Use this downtime to at least prepare for your job search if not actually applying for jobs that you see advertised.

The month of December is a great time to look for a new job and a better time to actually get one. Not everyone celebrates Christmas and not everyone can afford to take the month of December off so dont assume you cant get a new job during this month.

The only reason why you cant get a new job during December is if you dont try to get one during December.

Let other people make a New Years resolution to find a job next year. If you realize that a Christmas job search can pay big dividends now, youll beat out people who arent as motivated and smart as you are.