Set job-search stage in December — then act

December is perhaps the most challenging and the oddest of all months for job seekers. Not only do you deal with the distractions in your own life, including holiday preparations on an ever-shrinking budget, but you have to deal with the distractions in the lives of employers as well.

Besides those two sets of issues, there’s something unusual about the month itself: It swallows whole weeks. Even though the Christmas holiday comprises only one day, or sometimes two, somehow the entire window between the 20th and the first of the year disappears. Right about the third week of December, just about everyone in the business world, and those yearning to re-enter that realm, decides that the year is over.

But you really shouldn’t drop your job search just because you think it won’t be fruitful. You can’t afford to lose that much time. In a search that lasts four or five months, skipping December is like adding 20 percent to your period of unemployment.

AMY LINDGREN

WORKING STRATEGIES

You have two challenges in your December job search. You must motivate yourself, and then you must devise a strategy that accounts for the vagaries of this very difficult month.

I can’t provide the motivation you need, except to note that people really do get hired in December. Why shouldn’t it be you?

To convince yourself that December hires really do happen, remember these points: Some companies would like to start the new year with their new employee in place; some companies simply can’t wait until after the holidays to hire; some companies are always hiring.

To build your strategy, remember what is so different about the month. Schedules are either relaxed or frantic, depending on the product or service each company provides. Likewise, regular meetings are sometimes replaced with holiday events. Some companies close for a week; others give employees unpaid time off.

Adaptability is your watchword. Try any or all of the following tips.

» Attend parties and networking events, including bank open houses, association meetings, a friend’s work party, etc. Opportunities for business socializing abound in December, so take advantage.

» Look through your database for people you should greet with a holiday card, then start licking envelopes. And no, an e-mail greeting won’t do. You’re trying to make a lasting impression.

» Continue sending out résumés and letters until at least the 15th; then consider a two-week break if you think your materials might get lost in the holiday shuffle.

» Spend time with a trusted adviser to review your job search so far. Look for weak areas and new ideas to try in the new year. Revise your résumé if needed.

» Catch up on research in your industry; plan ways to use the data in your job search.

» Set your schedule for January, including meetings with networking contacts. Get something onto every weekday for the first two weeks of the year, so you can hit the ground running.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do in December is to review your job-search timeline. Don’t go into the new year wondering when you’ll be re-employed. Instead, set a date and work backward to develop your schedule of steps. The earlier the date you set, the more aggressive your job search will have to be, so use these December weeks to set the stage.

- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecaree rservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.