The holidays are a time to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and pause for a moment to reflect on what really matters. For most people, this means moving work and all things related to work straight to the back burner for the time being. We all need a few days during the year to reflect and slow down, and that’s what holidays are for.

If you’re in the process of searching for a new job, this will probably mean two things: First, your potential employers and professional contacts (the people who are receiving your voice mails and reviewing your resume) may not be available for a while. They’ll be in and out of the office, managing a skeleton crew or planning their own vacations.

Second, your competitors will be leaving the job search alone. Open positions will receive fewer resumes and applicant pools will temporarily thin out a bit. So you have two options: You can relax and let the job search go until January, OR you can maintain your momentum and take advantage of your circumstances. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make your choice.

Send, submit, call, and be patient.

Keep communication active on your end. Don’t expect an immediate response, but keep delivering, sending, and calling. Your resume may wait in an inbox for a week or two, but when your target hiring manager returns at the end of the season, it will still be there. If you don’t send it, it won’t be.

If you can attend interviews, you’ll have an advantage.

Some candidates can’t or won’t attend interviews scheduled during a holiday week, but if you have no problem with this, you’ll be gaining some extra ground. Even though workplaces and businesses slow down at this time, open positions still need to be filled, and most managers would like to move this task forward as far as possible before they leave.

A short to-do list means a happier holiday.

Slow and steady wins the race, and every journey is made up of a thousand steps. Choose whatever parable or children’s story you like, but the message remains the same: the more you do now, the less you’ll have on your plate later. You can put off your search till January, or you can schedule your start date in January—It’s your choice. Give yourself the best possible gift this year: a job you can step into while you’re still taking down the decorations.

Don’t let the warmth and peace of the holidays slow your search or interrupt your plans. You can have both! Just stay in motion. Reach out to the staffing team at PSU for help and guidance.