Tami MitchellNov 22, 2023
mekka okereke 

Reminder that it's really hard to get hired in October, November, and December. So if you've been job seeking and have gotten very little traction the past few months, know that it's not you. Don't give up hope!

* Hiring teams have the fewest open roles left at year's end

* It's tough to put interview schedules together because everyone is on vacation

* Even with the interviews, it's tough to schedule the debrief + hiring committee + offer review

Etc

#fedihired #BlackMastodon

Nov 22, 2023 at 2:22pmWeb
Show threadmekka okereke Nov 22, 2023

This is especially challenging at smaller startups.

If the CTO wants to review every hire, then decides to take some vacation like a normal person, it essentially freezes the hiring pipeline.

The inverse is also true: if you want to hire great people at a relative advantage, interviewing over the holiday season is a great way to do that. You can interview a great candidate, decide to hire them, and make them an offer, while all of your competitors are eating turkey and pie.

Show threadanubis2814Nov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke Noticed the too be very true. There is a job hunting season
Show threadJeremy in the blue house.Nov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke SO TRUE!
on the upside, places like target, grocery stores, whatever, they're ALL looking for seasonal help, so there's hope if you need to generate some $$, even if the work isn't the most entertaining.
Show threadJima Nov 23, 2023

@Jeremyinthebluehouse @mekkaokereke My senior year job was at a franchise of a grocery chain, and all things considered, it's one I was pretty fond of.

Granted, it was a union gig, too.

Show threadJeremy in the blue house.Nov 23, 2023
@jima @mekkaokereke may SuperValu rest in peace. Unfi can suck my left one.
Show threadJima Nov 23, 2023
@Jeremyinthebluehouse @mekkaokereke This was a Jerry's Foods Cub.
Show threadJeremy in the blue house.Nov 23, 2023
@jima @mekkaokereke kick-ass. I don't realize Jerry's was a union shop!
Show threadJima Nov 23, 2023

@Jeremyinthebluehouse @mekkaokereke It was in 1999/2000? No idea for sure now.

I've still got my UFCW withdrawal card somewhere!

Show threadJeremy in the blue house.Nov 23, 2023
@jima @mekkaokereke I still get MSCF and MEA flyers.
Show threadJima Nov 23, 2023

@Jeremyinthebluehouse @mekkaokereke I've moved 8 times since I withdrew, including 1000 miles. Twice.

They're all like:

Show threadSean ReifschneiderNov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke True, but as a counter-point, we made an offer last week and had him start this week (because why not start on a 3 day week!)
Show threadThe_Turtle_MovesNov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke companies compulsively impose weird hiring freezes at the end of the fiscal year in some bizarre effort to game financial KPIs...
Show threadGregNov 22, 2023

@mekkaokereke the best interview process I had was during this time: they needed the role filled, I had applied to a previous gig and they reached back out to me, so I was doing my take-home assignment from my in-laws over Christmas break.

Thanks, @robla . Changed my life.

Show threadroblaNov 26, 2023
@Greg - it's worth noting that you benefited greatly by a well-timed mention from @mindspillage ; I may not have remembered to look you up again had she not noted that you were back on the job market. As I recall, there was a series of improbable events that happened leading up to the offer letter. I'm glad it worked out.
Show threadPeter ButlerNov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke It’s a great time to find good candidates, if you’re looking...
Show threadScannerNov 22, 2023
@peterbutler @mekkaokereke Certainly given me a bit of hope... been getting up against a hard wall the past 3 months trying to get companies to even interview me. I hope other people going through the same thing can last the drought and get the jobs they need and want.
Show threadPeter ButlerNov 22, 2023
@scanner @mekkaokereke I’ve been there. It can get really depressing for me — hang in and keep posting
Show threadkira :3Nov 22, 2023
@scanner @peterbutler @mekkaokereke trying to feel relieved seeing that it's not just me, lmao
Show threadScannerNov 22, 2023
@chrisisgr8 @peterbutler @mekkaokereke Relieved but still anxious with bouts of being depressed. The mood swings are real.
Show threadkira :3Nov 22, 2023
@scanner @peterbutler @mekkaokereke i think I am in the "acceptance" phase, but only time will tell 
Show threadScannerNov 22, 2023
@chrisisgr8 Yeah. I think this is something I will never get used to. Some people say I should take advantage and relax more.. but the anxiousness never seems to fully go away so that makes it difficult.
Show threadStuart Celarier ❌👑Nov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke Agreed. Which makes the end of the year a good time to step up your networking efforts as well as burnish your resume, do some training to stay fresh, and maybe do some practice interviews with colleagues or a mentor. Best wishes to all job seekers.
Show threadkira :3Nov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke that’s something, the one set of good interviews I had began last november (but that’s definitely why they lasted until january for only three rounds)
Show threadJames BoagNov 22, 2023

@mekkaokereke

funny the post office and shops go mad at this time of year, Perhaps you are looking in the wrong places....

Show threadBoyd Stephen Smith Jr.Nov 22, 2023

@mekkaokereke Last year my employer and I ended our relationship on Nov. 9. I would normally start a job search immediately, but I knew nothing would really happen until the New Year, so I exercised some privilege and decided to enjoy my holidays and start the search then.

Other things got in the way, and I had negative cash flow for longer than I liked, but I was able to land my current position by May 1.

Best of luck to job seekers out there; it's extra hard to get hired this time of year.

Show threadHalJor Nov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke I applied for my current position the day after Christmas (a few years ago) and they replied to schedule an interview the following day. Phone calls exchanged around the new year, hired by the end of January. Anyone who says "don't apply during the holidays" is wrong.
Show threadmekka okereke Nov 22, 2023

@haljor

I am truly happy that this was your experience! See the second post in my thread for why it can be good for teams that do hire during this period.

My post was a reminder for friends (and strangers!) that have been looking for a while, and are having a really difficult time this holiday season.

I wish your experience was more common

Show threadAcausal Robot GodNov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke And the flip side is that often things hit the ground running FAST on Jan 1, so be prepared.
Show threadmekka okereke Nov 22, 2023

@AcausalRobotGod

💯 This!

Be ready!

Show threadnjwattNov 22, 2023
@mekkaokereke and as a hiring manager I know that giving somebody a December start date means their first month will be frustrating and isolating instead of engaging and exciting
Show threadMarcos DioneNov 23, 2023
@mekkaokereke I started interviewing at the end of July, mid-summer season, and it took them 6 very stressful weeks to finish the hiring process because everyone was on vacation. OTOH, back in April I was also interviewing on a heavy process that took them 4 weeks and 7 interviews to say no.
Show threadEveryday FreethoughtNov 24, 2023

@mekkaokereke

I work for a large consulting firm, and a lot of us are on the bench, and the clock is ticking. A lot of people think that there will be work in the second half of January. I hope I don't get axed. I HATE looking for work.