During a long overdue catch up with my friends last week, the subject of jobs and careers inevitably came up – and just like in any group of friends, it turns out that some of us are happier with our jobs than others. Now, it was during this conversation that I came across one of the biggest misconceptions that surrounds searching for a new job around the Christmas period.

What am I talking about? Well, a couple of my friends who are less than thrilled with their current job said they weren’t going to bother looking for a new job before Christmas because, in their words, there “wouldn’t be any”!

Needless to say I was pretty shocked and quickly set the record straight. From the look of our jobs board, it’s safe to say there are jobs out there at the moment – and in fact, the closer we’re getting to Christmas, the busier we seem to be getting as employers start to look forwards to their hiring plans for 2014 and recruiters scramble to use the last of their 2013 budget.

So, if you’re currently thinking about looking for a new job but are using Christmas as an excuse, you might want to listen up.

1. There Won’t Be Any Jobs: Hmm, a quick glance at Bubble and major job search engines like Indeed suggests that this really isn’t the case!

2. Everyone’s Starting To Wind Down For Christmas: Sorry to break it to you but Christmas Day is officially 21 days away… and with the majority of employees working right up until Christmas Eve this year, it’s fair to say no one’s winding down just yet! Believe us, recruiters are still hard at work looking for the right candidates… so don’t stick your head in the sand and miss out on the perfect role unnecessarily.

3. Even If You Apply, You Won’t Hear Back Until 2014: It’s simple – if a job ad is up, the position needs to be filled – and 9 times out of 10, sooner rather than later. As I just said, everyone’s still hard at work, so what makes you think a recruiter would wait until January to contact you if they think you’re the perfect candidate for the role? We’re being serious when we say if you apply now, you might even end up with an interview and formal offer before Christmas. Hmm, that’d be a nice Christmas present to yourself wouldn’t it?!

4. There’s No Point In Sending In Speculative Applications: Found a company you really want to work for but waiting until January to send your speculative application in? Trust us – don’t wait! Yes, companies are busy now – but the majority are going to be even busier in January, so hold your application back at your own risk! You never know, if a company’s considering its hiring plans for 2014 now, and your speculative application lands right in their lap, you might just get a look-in!

5. There Are Only Temporary Jobs Available: Now, there’s no denying that the majority of the jobs that are available at the moment are seasonable and will only last for a couple of months – but notice how we said “the majority”, not “all”? You see, there are full-time, permanent jobs available right now that don’t have anything to do with Christmas – so that old excuse really doesn’t stand up!