Tis’ The Season For Job Shopping

Welcome to early February. The holiday decorations have been put away for a while now (except for that one neighbor that keeps their lights up until March). It’s been back to school, back to work and the only big difference between now and early September is the colder, quieter, more contemplative shorter days and longer nights that many of us associate with winter truly setting in.

So here we are, at one of the few times of year when we have some time to truly reflect. For most of us, that includes taking inventory of how we feel in our current jobs and whether or not the New Year has brought us the motivation to make a much needed change if we are not where we want to be.

For some folks, they like to do their job shopping early. Yes, by the time your brother-in-law asks you at Thanksgiving why you haven’t been laid off yet, chances are you’ve already started window shopping on LinkedIn with the goal of beating the annual January/February crowds. And it’s usually true, much like Christmas shopping, the earlier you get started, the better off you’ll be. Once December 1st rolls around, most companies go into holiday mode when it comes to hiring, so you might as well wait until after the ball drops to kick your search into high gear again.

But now, it seems like Linkedin is open extended hours and always crowded, much like your local gym. A few weeks ago, I’m sure many of you got those notifications about connections starting new roles. “New Year, New Job” type stuff. Maybe you felt happy for them, maybe you felt just a tad envious. That would be completely normal.

But the good news is there is still time to get your job shopping done. Despite what some people think, many companies’ fiscal calendars do start on January 1 and that would mean that hiring budgets have been finalized and it’s time to post those jobs. Also, there are quite a few more positive macro signs pointing towards companies restarting traditional, albeit conservative, hiring practices this year after a very tepid (and layoff laden) 2023.

Of course, only time will tell if this is the year we actually enter a recession or not. But after many predicted one to arrive in 2023, you should ask yourself if waiting on the sidelines of the job market another year (recession or not) will ultimately bring you fulfillment. Life is funny like that. We make plans. And it goes on.

So if you are dreading the thought of job shopping, take solace in the fact that you are not alone. There are many of us out there, but the best part is now most of us shop online. If only there was same-day delivery too.