Job search around this time?

Happy thanksgiving everyone!

I recently decided to take some time off from grad school and am now looking for a job. I haven't really had much responses and was wondering if my timing was off? Some friends told me usually companies don't hire at the end of the year... but rather wait until January-ish so that they know who's leaving. Is this true? And if so, should I wait to send my resume in? I know a lot of companies keep resumes on file for something like three months...

I appreciate any advice about job searches in general as well! Thanks!
 
Well I'm a account executive here at a executive recruiting firm here in BC, Canada and we have a pretty steady employment availability here. It's not like Calgary where there are way more jobs than there are workers but I can definitely say that I see a trend that is slowing down in hiring the last month or so. It's not at a stand still and people are definitely hiring but I believe it's slower than the new year. Also a lot of companies are doing auditing at the moment so their focus isn't too much on new hires as the year is wrapping up.
 
I work in HR for a large company and it's true for us that hiring slows down this time of year. We're still looking - sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, extending offers etc - but we don't actually have anyone start during the holidays unless there's a pressing business need.

Other companies might take a break entirely from any recruiting activities because they know candidates are focused on other things this time of year. It all depends on the industry and the types of companies you're focused on.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
You know, honestly I've never heard a general time of when it's good to be job hunting. There's ALWAYS going to be something, LOL.

At my current employer, we're in our last quarter of our budget cycle, so there's no $$ left for much of anything. We're interviewing for positions but probably won't be able to extend offers until January or so.

On a personal note, this year I lost my job in June due to my consulting engagement ending a little sooner than anticipated. I got the whole thing of "oh, it's so HARD to be job hunting during the summer as everyone's on vacation..." Well, I did end up finding a new job in September but it WAS a long process as so many people were out of town. But who's to say it would have been any easier any other time of year??

I guess you just have to be tenacious and persistent.