How realistic is it for me to find a job before the end of the year?

November 7, 2008 10:10 AM

How realistic is it for me to find a job before the end of the year? I am calculating my risk of resigning now.

I am very unhappy at my job. Corruption, favoritism, lack of support, incompetency, to mention a few, and they are looking for someone to blame, and I happen to be close by. Anyway, I really want to resign now, but as we all know the job market is more competitive than ever with more people applying to less number of jobs.

To a certain extent, I am sure the industry and job matters, i.e. finance/auto, but I'd appreciate feedback across industries.

posted by icollectpurses to Work & Money (10 answers total)

You didn't say what industry you were in.

You might also consider that it's usually easier to find work when you have work (or so they say), but then again, it's easier to find work after you've resigned than after you've been fired.

This question will somewhat be chat filter, since it's been so broadly asked and it's not only going to matter industry, but geographical location as well.

We had 3 times as many job applications for a recently posted position than we did when the position was posted a year before. 75% or these are over qualified (entry level that people with 20+ years are applying for). Previously 75% were unqualified.

I have no plans jumping ships any time soon, especially without a life jacket.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:25 AM on November 7, 2008

Even in a better economy, it's almost never a good idea to leave a job without having another one lined up.

Is this the same job from this question?
posted by mkultra at 10:33 AM on November 7, 2008

Response by poster: Sorry, it's Corporate Finance Law and consulting. It's unorthodox, but as far as my experience is concerned, it's diverse, I have crim and corp law experience, but I want to explore corporate governance. Thanks, Cjorgensen.
posted by icollectpurses at 10:33 AM on November 7, 2008

I don't know about your field, but in my experience working in the nonprofit sector, getting a job around the holidays is almost impossible. Things are too crazy with people taking time off, etc. Could you stay in your job but just take a lot of holiday-related time off in the next two months?
posted by lunasol at 11:21 AM on November 7, 2008

I agree that the annual timing is pretty crappy, without regard to the recession. You should burn a lot of your personal days, sick days, and vacation days, while you are looking seriously for new work in Nov and Dec. And then you'll be ready for interviews in January. G'luck.
posted by zpousman at 12:03 PM on November 7, 2008

All the companies I've ever worked at usually put a hiring freeze in place in the fourth quarter. This includes at least two of the three non-profits I've worked at.
posted by FergieBelle at 12:24 PM on November 7, 2008

Step 1: Get a new job.
Step 2: Give your old job notice.

Doing it the other way around is foolish.
posted by MaxK at 12:38 PM on November 7, 2008

Listen to MaxK. I did it the other way round, and while I don't panic yet, I'm getting pretty stressed by the insecurity of being unemployed right now. Spending more time reading about the macroeconomic situation, and so on.
posted by dhoe at 1:11 PM on November 7, 2008

I would agree with most of the statements above, 4th quarter is a terrible time to begin a job search. Compounded with the economy I think you're in for a very tough time. Your geographic location could be an advantage, but I know in my city all the major employers are laying off tons of people. In my industry, just from what I've seen in market news in the last two weeks we're likely to loose close to 10,000-15,000 positions this quarter. My husband's company is one of the few that are hiring, many of the folks he is hiring are taking 30K-50K pay cuts, they are desperate for a job.

I'd take a look at your local papers and industry news and see what the numbers are looking like and how many jobs are out there. Personally, I wouldn't jump ship in this climate without an ace in the hole, cat in the bag, etc.
posted by pokeedog at 1:56 PM on November 7, 2008

Don't quit your old job before you have a new job. I've been told that a million times. I think the current economy makes this about 100x more true. Spend all your extra time looking for your new job. Take sick days and go on interviews. You don't want to be jobless during the holidays.
posted by CwgrlUp at 2:38 PM on November 7, 2008