The Christmas period is the perfect time to relax at home and forget about your other commitments.  It's also a big drain on finances, which for those who are currently unemployed can serve as an unwelcome reminder of the need to continue searching for jobs.  With this in mind, it's tempting to spend the holidays firing out applications for whatever positions are available.  This approach, though, while it may feel constructive, can produce poor results for the amount of effort and can increase your anxiety.

It is safe to assume that business will slow down considerably between 18 December and 4 January, when the weeks are broken up with bank holidays and companies are running lean.  By sending your CV during this peak holiday period, you're almost guaranteeing that it will end up lost at the bottom of a full inbox by the New Year.  This will do little to help the inevitable anxiety that comes with submitting applications, and the lack of responses will dog you throughout the festive period if you don't - as you most probably won't - hear back from potential employers.

If you send applications out of perceived necessity over Christmas, it is likely that you will do so hurriedly and this can lead to mistakes.  The effort you've gone to will be futile if you fail to impress potential employers and recruiters. Instead, it is worth slowing down over Christmas and dedicating some time to research.  By eliminating frantic job applications from your schedule you can concentrate on enhancing your CV for the New Year instead.  The strongest job applicants tend to be those who can demonstrate a well-researched understanding of the position they're applying for, the industry, company and what might be expected of them in that context.  They are able to tailor their CV to suit the needs of a potential employer, to help demonstrate the way in which their skills would fit within the organisation.  Time spent doing this is an extremely worthwhile investment - one effective application will offer you far greater success for far less stress than many wasted efforts.

It is also extremely beneficial to spend time researching organisations and individuals you can approach speculatively.  Make use of tools like LinkedIn to really explore networking opportunities and build up a stock of leads to follow in January.

Most importantly, balance your schedule.  Companies will be slowing down and there's no reason you shouldn't either.  Make the most of being able to relax for a little while - job seeking is extremely stressful and it's vital that you keep your own wellbeing a priority.  This, too, will benefit your effectiveness when you begin applications again after Christmas.  Set yourself a start-date for your renewed job search in the New Year, and make sure you're fully prepared with a structured routine and wealth of fresh leads to pursue.   If you're not already a member of LinkedIn, you can access it via the Tools section of Careerplan4.me or directly at www.linkedin.com/reg/join