The Christmas Crunch

It seems bleak, bleak, bleak, wherever you look this Christmas.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics tell a familiar story – unemployment is at its highest level for 12 years, up by 232,000 for the three months to April. Job vacancies, which peaked a year-and-a-half ago at 700,000, were down to 444,000 in May 2009.1

It's easy to believe things are, indeed, as bad as they sound but are they really that bad?

The smell of negativity, self pity and lack of hope lingers in the air but this Christmas seems to endure a sparkle of change. Forgive me for being sheltered but when was the last time you heard the latest job cut update on the news? Early 2009 oozed day after day updates of the economic downfall being what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but what about now?

For those of you abiding by the stereotype that Christmas is a quiet time for recruitment and plan to sit back and wallow it then what can I say, your loss! This Christmas is a great time for those wanting contract work in the digital arena at great daily rates and proactively showing interest in companies before the January job boom. A large amount of clients are taking on extra help over Christmas which is a blooming period compared to the dark times of 2008.

Advice to Graduates launching their career in digital? Start off with a smaller employer, as opposed to trying to get a place on a graduate scheme with a large corporate; it is a very competitive time. Often this attains faster results and can offer a broader overall experience.

On the whole be proactive and use December wisely. January will be as busy as the January sales. It is the busiest month of the year for recruitment and this 2010 has a smell of promise and optimism for the digital job market. So guarantee you are fully equipped, so that you can take advantage of whatever job opportunities crop up.

Don’t forget to party too! Parties are perfect venues for getting on your networking hat because networking is all about making connections with people, sharing interests and finding common grounds, you never know where this may lead you and your career!

One final important tip to all: Get in touch! We speak to specialist digital candidates all day/every day which means we have immediate access to the crème of the digital crop that is available now when you need them along with the top agencies and digital clients in London. It’s all about the right people in the right place. And the right place for the right people.

Merry Christmas to you all. Minus the crunch.

By Katrina Maratheftis

1-Dave Cohen (The Guardian Website 2009)