Tweet It's the day before Thanksgiving. The holidays are officially upon us. Many of you were working toward a goal of having a new job by the end of 2010. Unless you are in the midst of your second, third or fourth interview, it's unlikely that you will be closing that deal this year.

Don't get frustrated. Here's what you are dealing with:

• Budgets. Agencies are looking at the year and making projections for 2011. If they aren't downsizing, they are trying figure out their needs for next year.
• Vacation days. People are trying to use up their time off. Schedules are limited.
• Budgets again. On the client side, if they don't use up their budgets for this year, they risk losing that money for next year. So unexpected new projects are crammed in now to spend up that money. For the agency, that means they may be too busy to talk to you right now, unless they are looking for freelancers to help with the extra load. It's a no-win situation for you to interview with an overworked, irritated creative director right now.

So what do you do now?

• Make sure everything is ready for January - your portfolio and resume. You've got to hit the ground running. Remember, December graduates are out there now - more competition.
• You still apply, research and inquire. There are positions out there that need to be filled now. If not, you want to get on people's calenders asap in January.
• Concentrate on family, friends, your health - everything you are thankful for.

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