Should you search for a job during the holiday season

Should you search for a job during the holiday season As the end of the year approaches, it gets easier to justify not doing things until later. â€Å"I’m awfully busy right now. I’ll start my diet/gym routine/job hunt in the new year, when things are calmer.† Is this reasonable logic? It is. But it may be costing you valuable job opportunities. Here are 7 reasons you should consider making a job search part of your holiday festivities this year.7 reasons to start your job search during the holidaysHiring is year-roundThe end of the year is no different than any other time of year: people leave jobs, and those jobs need to be filled. Or, companies are looking ahead to the new year and want to have staff in place as soon as possible after the ball drops in Times Square. The hiring keeps buzzing along, holidays or not.There’s less competitionWhile others are out waiting in line doing their last-minute shopping or putting stamps on 549 holiday cards, there are fewer people focused on job searches. In the new yea r, there are likely to be hordes of other people seeking out job listings and ads, while openings that pop up in December go under the radar. If you’re keeping an eye out for a new job opportunity while most other people are focusing on other things, you could have an advantage.You can think short-term and long-termMany places hire seasonal staff to get through the holidays. But that temporary gig could turn into a permanent one. You’re already in place, you have the skills they want, and now you have a toe in the door. This makes you a great candidate when a more permanent job opens up.You can look now, but start laterBecause many companies are looking ahead to staffing needs in January and February, it may be that the job you’re applying for now may not even start until after the holidays. But if you wait until January to put those feelers out, it may already be too late to score those upcoming jobs.The holidays have built-in networking opportunitiesWhat bette r time of year is there to say, â€Å"Let’s go out and grab a holiday drink† or write, â€Å"It’s been a while, and I’d love to catch up with you† in a holiday card. The holidays are a time when people get sentimental about relationships and feel a little extra social. You never know what opportunities can pop up if you put a little extra work into networking this time of year.Holiday vacation isn’t necessarily off the tableOne of the biggest concerns about job hunting during the holidays is, â€Å"What if I get it and can’t accommodate my existing holiday plans?† If you have a non-refundable flight over the holidays and your new job offer comes with a non-negotiable start date the day before you’re scheduled to travel†¦ well, that might not be the right opportunity for you. But some companies are willing to negotiate a start date- say, January 2.Extra money comes in handy this time of yearA new job often comes with a bump in pay, and for many people, this is a time of year fraught with extra expenses and indulgences. Sticking with your job search during the holidays could be a bonus if you score a new job and a pay raise right before all those credit card bills come due.The holiday season may feel like a time you should be focusing on the personal over the professional, but if you put in time and effort into the job hunt while others are putting theirs on hold, you could find great opportunities.

How a Tree Grows - A Brief Overview

How a Tree Grows - A Brief Overview Little of a trees volume is actually living tissue. Just 1% of a tree is actually alive and composed of living cells. The major living portion of a growing tree is a thin film of cells just under the bark (called the cambium) and can be only one to several cells thick. Other living cells are in root tips, the apical meristem, leaves, and buds. The overwhelming portion of all trees is made up of non-living tissue created by a cambial hardening into non-living wood cells on the inner cambial layer. Sandwiched between the outer cambial layer and the bark is an ongoing process of creating sieve tubes which transport food from leaves to roots. So, all wood is formed by the inner cambium and all food-conveying cells are formed by the outer cambium. Apical Growth Tree height and branch lengthening begin with a bud. Tree height growth is caused by the apical meristem whose cells divide and elongate at the base of the bud to create upward growth in trees with a dominant crown tip. There can be more than one developing crown if a trees top is damaged. Certain conifers cannot produce these growth cells and height growth stops at the crown tip. Tree branch growth works in a similar way using buds at the apex of each twig. These twigs become the future branches of trees. Transfer of genetic material in the process will cause these buds to grow at determined rates, creating a tree species height and form. Tree trunk growth is coordinated with the increase of tree height and width. When buds begin opening in the early Spring, cells in the trunk and limbs get the signal to increase in girth by dividing and in height by elongating. Root Cap Growth Early root growth is a function of meristematic root tissue located near the tip of the root. The specialized meristem cells divide, producing more meristem called root cap cells which protect the meristem and undifferentiated root cells while pushing through the soil. The undifferentiated cells become the primary tissues of the developing root during elongation and the process that pushes the root tip forward in the growing medium. Gradually these cells differentiate and mature into specialized cells of the root tissues.