Fall break: a slow season or opportunities time?
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot – we’re entering a period of celebration, warm family gatherings, and a generally less productive atmosphere. But what should a job seeker do during this nearly month-long break?
“Let’s decide after the holidays” is one of the most popular phrases in Israel, and rightly so. Let’s be honest: even during the working days between Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, productivity tends to be low, especially when schools and kindergartens are closed.
So how does this holiday period affect our life generally and the employment market particularly?
My first Rosh Hashanah I met with an empty fridge and understood that within the next few days I won’t be able to buy anything. Shops are closed, no public transportation and if you didn’t care in advance about food, activities, company and don’t have a car, you may feel stuck. It was one of the first lessons I learned as a newcomer: plan ahead as much as possible. Later this rule helped me more than once.
As the holidays approach, job seekers may also start to feel a bit stuck in the midst of their job hunt. Well, what’s happening with the job market during these days?
As I mentioned earlier, productivity tends to be low from Rosh Hashanah to the end of Sukkot. People travel, spend time at home with their children, and celebrate with family and friends. While business processes aren’t completely frozen, hiring processes are largely suspended in most sectors. And even if the Team Lead or the Head of the Department continues to work, someone should provide them with the candidates’ CVs. And usually this exact person, a recruiter, doesn’t work.
So what should a job seeker do in this case? I have several suggestions:
- Keep monitoring the market. There still will be companies with urgent vacancies. If you apply promptly for a newly posted vacancy, you might receive a callback sooner than usual.
- Avoid Applying for Vacancies Posted a Few Weeks Before the Holidays: Most likely, HR departments will not process applications during this period
- Review and Improve Your Job Search Strategy: Use this time to tailor your CV, make a list of desired industries and conduct market research to identify hiring companies, and review or create a Job Tracker to analyze your job application success and areas where you may need improvement.
- Leverage Your Network: Since the holiday period is an excellent time for gatherings with family and friends, take advantage of it by sharing your job search status with your community. These people you meet and celebrate with likely work somewhere and may offer advice, job references, or other forms of support.
- Enjoy the Holiday Period: This time is valuable, especially when the job market is competitive, and job searches take longer than usual. Like it’s popular to say now: if you want to land a job, get ready for a marathon, not a sprint.
I wish you all Shana Tova, may you be signed and sealed in the book of life! Wishing you health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year.