What If December Is the Most Important Month for Career Momentum?

If you’ve been job searching lately, or even just thinking about what’s next, you’ve probably felt it, something about the market feels different right now. Heavier. Slower. A bit harder to read.

Clients tell me they’re sending applications into a void. People who are normally shoulder-tapped for opportunities are waiting longer than they’re comfortable with. Senior leaders who’ve never doubted themselves are suddenly asking, “Is it me?” It’s not you. The labour market has shifted.

Unemployment in Aotearoa has lifted to around 5.2–5.3 percent, the highest it’s been in several years. 

In real terms, that means more people are looking for work at the same time that fewer roles are being advertised and organisations are taking longer to make decisions as they weigh up budgets and priorities. Roles that once moved fast now stall. Silence stretches out.

That combination can feel unsettling even for highly capable, highly experienced people. But a softer market doesn’t mean the end of opportunity. It just means opportunity shows up differently and sustaining career momentum will take a different kind of strategy. This is where December becomes far more interesting than most people assume.

The Myth About December

Every year around this time, there’s a familiar belief: “Nothing happens now. May as well wait until January.” It sounds true. It feels true. But behind the scenes, a very different story plays out. Two things happen at once:

1. Seasonal and short-term hiring ramps up fast - in retail, hospitality, tourism, logistics, events and seasonal production. These roles fill quickly because they’re urgent.

2. Many organisations delay leadership hires, not because those roles don’t exist, but because nobody wants to rush a high-stakes hiring decision the week before people go on leave.

So while one part of the job market accelerates, the other takes a breath. Sitting between those two spaces is a window of opportunity, if you know what to do with it.

If You're Early-Career, Returning To Work Or Exploring A Pivot

Seasonal roles are often underestimated. But they can be powerful stepping stones. They allow you to:

• Rebuild confidence without pressure

• Earn income while exploring possibilities

• Build new networks and relationships

• Test industries or teams before committing

• Build recent experience you can leverage later

Some of the most meaningful career shifts I’ve seen began with someone saying, “It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.” Sideways moves often become the launchpad for forward ones. If you need to take the pressure off yourself right now, you’re allowed to.

If You're Mid-Career or Senior Executive

This time of year can feel confronting. Especially if you’re used to progress, influence and momentum. When the market slows and decision-makers move cautiously, silence can feel personal (even when it isn’t). People begin to doubt themselves, not because they’ve lost their value, but because the pace around them has changed. If you feel wobbly, flat or frustrated: that’s a human response to uncertainty, not proof that something is wrong with you. Here’s the upside:

The stillness of December can be strategic. It gives you the space to do the positioning work others won’t do until late January. This is the moment to:

• Re-shape your CV and LinkedIn so they signal your strengths clearly

• Reconnect with people while conversations feel relaxed and real

• Identify organisations you’d genuinely like to approach

• Line up early-January conversations before diaries fill

• Strengthen your message so opportunities can recognise you quickly

How to Build Career Momentum This Week

• Reach out to someone whose thinking you value

• Write a list of ten organisations you’re curious about

• Update your LinkedIn headline so it actually says what you’re looking for

• Stay open to project-based or short-term opportunities

• Make small moves every day — small still counts as movement

Momentum doesn’t require intensity. It requires intention.

Yes, the market is tighter. Yes, the process is slower. Yes, you might feel discouraged at times. But a softer market doesn’t close doors, it just asks for a different kind of courage and creativity. December is misunderstood. It’s not a dead end. It’s a reset. A month that invites reflection, recalibration and forward motion. A month that most people will waste — and a few will use well.

Use it as your runway.

Back yourself.

And in the quiet, you might move further than you think.

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Thanks for reading. Our hope with each edition is to create space to pause, reflect and rethink how we work. If this sparked something for you, we would love if you shared it with someone who might need to hear it. You can always connect with us at info@pickapath.co.nz or find more at pickapath.co.nz.

And in the quiet, you might move further than you think.