15 things finance majors should do in December to help their 2026 job search

December gives finance majors an advantage if they use it well. One move matters more than anything. Build a focused list of ten companies you genuinely want to work with and start warming those relationships now.

People assume hiring begins in January. The truth is simple: decisions take shape much earlier. Leaders begin planning headcount, budgets, and priorities in December. If your name enters their world during this window, you will stay ahead of the crowd.

Here is how to do it.

Review each company. Understand their Q4 numbers, their recent moves, and the problems they aim to solve in the next cycle. Then send short, thoughtful messages to team members across finance, FP&A, strategy, and operations. Do not ask for a job. Start with insight. Show curiosity. Add value.

By the time hiring opens, you will already be familiar to them. Candidates who show up prepared, informed, and early always stand out.

December gives you quiet. Use it to lay the groundwork. The job arrives in 2026 because the work happens now.

Sit down and build a full-blown financial model from scratch, even for a company you invent out of thin air. I know it might sound tedious, or like you’re just doing homework for yourself, but going through the process forces you to connect all the things you’ve learned piece by piece. You choose your revenue streams, make all the operating assumptions, link your statements, fix your broken formulas, and start to think like the person you hope to become. That experience is far more valuable than spending another week browsing job boards and tweaking your résumé.

The thing about doing this over your break is that you walk into all your interviews in the new year with a real project to show. Instead of telling them you know modeling, you can show them your file, talk them through your assumptions, and convince them you understand how numbers fit within a business. That’s a positive trait that great hires usually possess and that hiring managers notice.

Build a signal-rich portfolio. This is a small collection of real, analysis-driven projects that demonstrate how you think, not just what you’ve studied.

Most students spend December polishing resumes or sending cold applications. The problem is that every resume looks similar. What stands out to hiring managers, especially in finance, is evidence of your judgment, your ability to model uncertainty, and your comfort working with imperfect data.

A signal-rich portfolio can consist of three to five projects, such as a cash flow model for a company you admire, a valuation teardown of a recent acquisition, or a risk analysis of a market trend.

Put the work on a clean Notion page or in a PDF, and add a one-paragraph narrative explaining your approach and assumptions.

Do this in December because firms start hiring in January, and showing up with concrete proof of your thinking immediately elevates you above candidates with only coursework.

I recommend spending December talking to people who left the finance industry after a few years. Their experience is more useful than advice from new grads or senior executives.

This solves the problem of choosing a career path based on incomplete information. You might pick a job that looks good on paper but has a culture or work-life balance that will burn you out quickly.

Find these people on LinkedIn. Look for profiles that show 2-5 years at a bank or investment firm and then a move to a different industry. Send them a message like: “Hi [Name], I’m a finance student at [Your University] getting ready for my 2026 job search. I think your career path is really interesting, and I’d appreciate hearing about your experience in finance and why you decided to make a change. Would you have 15 minutes to chat?” Their honest feedback is gold.

These conversations give you a real look at the day-to-day realities of the job. Understanding both the good and the bad will help you find a role where you can succeed over the long term, not just one you can tolerate for a year.

Finance majors should use December to build a strong, practical project that demonstrates real skill. I advise students to pick a small dataset and produce a clear analysis that explains trends, risks, and recommended actions, because employers want to see how candidates think. Add a short write-up that shows the logic behind each step. Share it on LinkedIn and ask a mentor for feedback. The project becomes a talking point in interviews. It also shows drive and can help candidates secure early-2026 roles sooner.

December is the time to really double down on networking and preparing for a new role, so you won’t be in a rush in January. We’re also entering the holiday season, so you should time these messages well to catch people before they go on vacation. That means curating a list of industry professionals, alumni, and recruiters and then crafting a message that shows genuine interest in the roles and firms you want, even if they haven’t posted any openings.

You’ll still be on their minds well before the New Year rush, and you may secure an early position as hiring ramps up.

Reconnecting with their current network and growing it through focused informational outreach is one of the most crucial things finance majors should do in December. December produces a unique confluence of slower calendars, more contemplative discussions, and decision-makers who at last have time to respond. Students who connect now with analysts, loan officers, founders, or hiring managers start forming relationships that can eventually turn into referrals as soon as budgets reopen in January. Additionally, these conversations make it clearer which positions they are genuinely interested in, improving their narrative, resume, and interview skills. Finance majors have a significant edge when hiring momentum picks up in the first quarter if they view December as a strategic networking season rather than a waiting period.

One of the most impactful things finance majors can do in December is build a small analysis project they can show employers. What I’ve seen with early-career hires is that a real model speaks louder than a polished resume. Pick a company, pull a few quarters of data, and create a simple forecast, risk breakdown, or cash-flow scenario. Add one insight about efficiency or cost behavior that a manager can understand at a glance. Even a basic model that highlights a 10 to 15 percent swing in spending or margin tells employers you can turn numbers into decisions. That kind of practical thinking is what usually leads to early-2026 offers.

December was my secret weapon for networking in FinTech.

I’d message finance leaders on LinkedIn, but instead of pitching myself, I’d ask about their biggest challenges.

That was it.

Those conversations led to far more partnerships.

Forget mass outreach.

Pick five people, find common ground, and share a helpful insight once in a while.

A few good contacts will get you further than a thousand weak ones.

Finance majors should use December to contact alumni employed by target companies directly and request informational interviews, since most job opportunities are filled by referrals before they are ever advertised publicly. Developing connections with individuals who are already at the organizations of your choice will provide you with insider information about future opportunities, the hiring schedule, and what hiring managers are really seeking beyond what is reflected in the job descriptions. January recruiting moves quickly, so the conversations and connections you have had in December will give you an edge over those who wait until the job is posted and their resumes are sent into black holes with hundreds of other resumes.

Building a “mini case file” for each dream company is another overlooked December strategy that can make a real difference. Choose a few companies you truly admire, then study a single financial challenge they’re navigating right now. It could be margin pressure, customer churn, rising acquisition costs, a tricky expansion, or the complexity of integrating new technology. Break it down on one clean page: the issue, what’s driving it, and a thoughtful angle on how you’d help address it. You’re not expected to solve it perfectly; the value is in your curiosity and your reasoning.

Sharing this during cold outreach, a networking chat, or an early interview shifts the entire tone. Instead of sounding like someone hoping for a chance, you come across as someone already thinking through their world. That kind of signal often leads to fast-tracked conversations, hidden openings, or invitations to meet leaders you didn’t even know were hiring. It shows seriousness, creativity, and the kind of initiative finance teams genuinely respect.

In December, most hiring managers slow down, but alumni have time. Use that window to secure warm referrals for January openings:

Identify 10–15 alumni per target role on LinkedIn; prioritize those who are 1–3 years ahead of you.

Send short, specific notes (e.g., “Two questions about your FP&A analyst ramp and advice on prepping for X company”).

Hold 20-minute calls: confirm skill gaps, learn their interview loops, and ask for a referral only if it’s a fit.

On the same day, tailor your resume to the JD they shared and apply; then ask them to submit the referral.

Track your outreach in a simple sheet, and follow up with a thank-you and a progress update.

Result: You enter 2026 with applications already sponsored by insiders, leading to dramatically higher interview and offer rates compared with cold applying.