KEY POINTS:
Holiday time does not have to be a dead time for pursuing the next step in your career. In fact, John Nevill, principal at recruitment firm Gaulter Russell, says it's a good time to do the careful consideration, research and reflection you might not always have the time for.
"You know job hunting is a time consuming thing. Often if people have a full-time job as well, they don't get the time to do it well and give it the amount of due diligence that they might like."
Whether employed or unemployed, Neville says the holidays are a time when people can make some interesting changes in their careers.
"Job changes are often led by dissatisfaction with current employment versus a quest for something more. When you're on holiday it's one of the more likely times that you're sitting there thinking, 'I don't want to go back to work'."
But job seekers can use the holiday time to be productive if they want to. But more than looking for a job, Nevill says you should be reassessing your career.
"It's quite a good time to sit back and put a bit of a plan together around your job search and spend some quality time on the internet looking at the opportunities that are out there."
Reading over the internet sites of various companies you might find one that you are interested in working for, that is one way to make the holiday's constructive.
"Should an opportunity arise to talk to someone at that company you come across as a knowledgeable person who is prepared and can put yourself ahead of the pack from that perspective."
Nevill says your job search should be driven based on the career direction you are looking to take and not by the job opportunities you see.
"I think a lot of people are still driven by the phone calls they might get from agencies. We might ring somebody and say that there's a job here and they come along to an interview and get that job."
The holidays are a great chance to get out of the rut of just moving from job to job and actually spend some time planning your career.
But Nevill says we're generally not good at planning.
"People probably put a lot more time into choosing a house rather than choosing a job. In fact, some people put a lot more time into choosing a car than choosing a job. Your job is worth a huge amount more than both of those things over a period of time for most people."
The holidays might also give you access to people who can offer you their advice or insights.
"Talk to family and friends and peers who are also on holiday and have probably got a little more time to think and talk than they normally have."
But if you want to have another squiz at your CV, Nevill says the holidays may not be the best time for it.
"If you're going to work on your CV, then I'd assume you've got issues with it at the moment. If you've got issues then you'll need some input. And that input is going to be a little hard to get at this time of year."
But there is one thing Nevill often sees lacking in the CVs that come across his desk.
"One of the key things that we often don't see in CVs is the achievements. A lot of people focus on their responsibilities rather than their achievements. Tell me what you did, but I'm actually more interested in how well you did it."
But even if your CV is in good shape, don't waste the holiday down time just spamming it off to on online ads. Nevill says the key is setting a path for yourself that you're keen to follow.
"The holiday is a good opportunity to put some quality time into thinking about exactly what they want to do with their career. Spend some time thinking about. 'What do I want out of my next job? Where do I want it to take me?'."
Nevill says to invest the spare time contemplating exactly where you you want to go. Then you can plan what you want to do and find which companies and recruitment firms to help you get to that point.
There is one more thing Nevill recommends for everyone to have a successful new year.
"I think it's a good time to have a rest. You don't want to get too tied up in it.
"You're in for another busy year and it's important that you spend some time with your family and friends and get the focus off work as well. Holidays are there for a reason."
