17 things communications majors should do in December to help their 2026 job search

December is the smartest month for communications majors to hone their focus. Communications is a broad field, and early in the year those generalists aren’t likely to be rewarded by hiring managers. They react to stark indicators of fitting. December is the time where there are fewer candidates, but recruiters are preparing their Q1 hires. Just spend a month auditing your experience and shaping it into one lane (internal comms, PR analytics, brand storytelling, or content strategy).

Here is what that looks like in real life. In December, a senior I wrote with her heart set on brand communications but a series of scattered internships. In only three weeks, she rewrote two class projects as brand case studies, updated her LinkedIn headline with exact job titles she wanted and emailed five alumni asking for specific answers about brand teams. Two of those alumni forwarded her resume internally in January. She was interviewed in early February and began in March. The work wasn’t flashy. It was purposeful and done at a time when most students were already checked out mentally.

December will be good to send a proof of work packet, not just lots of generic job apps on a communications major’s resume. A communications major creates a mini pr campaign for their top three employers by the end of 2025. The mini pr campaign is a two-page narrative map with a 300-word draft of a press release and two outreach emails for a beat reporter and a podcast host. Because the timeline is tight, each packet is created in 2 hours and revised after a 15-minute read aloud.

Most candidates submit polished resumes and class projects, but hiring managers are likely to move on your resume quicker if it has something related to their current news headlines or internal priorities. The resume packet is sent directly to the communications director of the company with a quick note which invites a 20-minute phone call and clearly states an achievable success goal, for example, getting three earned media mentions within 30 days.

That January 2026 deadline makes your job search a referral conversation because recipients of this work will be forwarding the good work internally to other employees who may be able to help. This internal referral will get you out of the queue and into job interviews sooner than you would have been otherwise in 2026.

Apply to jobs now, even if they say “experience required.” December is when hiring managers post roles they need to fill in Q1. Entry-level positions get disguised as “1-2 years’ experience” because they’re trying to filter out people who aren’t serious.

Apply anyway. Write a cover letter that addresses what you bring to the table. Talk about projects you’ve managed, campaigns you’ve contributed to, or relevant coursework that taught you skills they need. At Nextiva, we’ve hired communications grads who applied to roles that asked for experience. They made a case for why they were ready. They demonstrated they understood our business and how they could contribute.

Companies are desperate for good communicators who can write well, think strategically, and understand customer needs. If you can show that, experience requirements become flexible. Don’t let job descriptions intimidate you out of applying. December is when those roles get posted. Be there when they’re looking.

Most grads make the mistake of waiting until they feel “ready” or until they meet every single requirement listed. That’s a trap. Job descriptions are wish lists, not hard requirements. Hiring managers know they might not find someone who checks every box. They’re looking for people who can learn and grow into the role.

Use December to your advantage. Competition is lower because everyone assumes companies aren’t hiring during the holidays. They’re wrong. Budgets get approved. Positions get greenlit. Hiring managers are reviewing applications and scheduling interviews for January. If you apply in December, your resume lands on their desk when they’re actively looking. If you wait until January, you’re one of hundreds applying to the same role.

Take the time to research each company. Understand what they do and who they serve. Customize your application to show you’ve done the homework. Generic applications get ignored. Thoughtful ones get interviews.

In December, build a “brag doc” and turn it into a one-page portfolio. Most comms majors forget their wins the moment finals hit. Write down 8-10 proof points: posts you wrote, emails you drafted, events you promoted, and what happened next (clicks, sign-ups, turnout, shares). Even small numbers help.

Then pull three into short case studies: goal – what you did – result. One thing I always check in candidates is whether they can explain the impact in plain words. This makes your resume stronger and faster before January hiring ramps up.

December is the perfect time to stop scrolling job boards, since budgets for next year are probably still in flux for new full-time employees, and start building something tangible you can reference in the new year. My biggest advice for communications majors is to create a few strong case studies, even if they’re self-initiated. Break down a campaign you admire, analyze a brand’s messaging, or mock up a strategy. It shows how you think, which matters more than titles early on in your career. Stress your soft skills and logic, as that is what is going to land you a job rather than anything else when you’re coming straight from college.

One of the most important things communications majors should do in December is audit and activate their personal voice.

December isn’t just downtime; it’s positioning season. While others are waiting for January job postings, smart communicators are reviewing how they show up professionally. That means looking critically at your LinkedIn profile, your portfolio, your video presence, and even how you talk about your skills out loud.

If you can’t clearly articulate the value you bring in a 30-second introduction, a hiring manager won’t discover it for you.

Use December to refine your narrative. Practice explaining what you do, who you help, and why it matters. Record yourself answering common interview questions. Update your digital footprint so it reflects not just what you studied, but how you think, lead, and communicate.

Early 2026 jobs won’t go to the most qualified on paper. They’ll go to the candidates who communicate confidence, clarity, and readiness *before* the competition wakes up in January.

In communication, your voice is your advantage. December is when you sharpen it.

I generally don’t like to just say surface-level stuff, so let me give you the root cause analysis. Communications majors struggle in job searches not because they lack skill, but because employers cannot see how those skills translate into outcomes.

One of the most important things communications majors should do in December is build a small proof portfolio tied to real business impact. Not class assignments, but concrete examples like a rewritten landing page with conversion logic, a mock crisis response, a content calendar tied to growth goals, or a before-and-after narrative showing how messaging changed behavior. I once worked with a student who spent December turning three school projects into tight one-page case studies. She did not apply to more jobs than her peers, but she started interviews weeks earlier.

Why this works is simple. December is quiet, and hiring managers plan in that window. When January hits, they gravitate toward candidates who already look operational, not theoretical.

One practical tip is to frame every example around clarity and ownership. That same principle quietly shows up in systems like DianaHR, where communication is treated as an execution tool, not just expression.

December is the best time for communications majors to practice interviewing. A great CV can get you in the room, but it’s the interview where many people fall flat. I’ve seen so many candidates bomb interviews because they were unable to articulate their thinking or even respond confidently to simple questions.

An interview is where you demonstrate how you think, communicate, and respond to pressure. That’s even more important for communication positions. Credentials alone cannot be the answer. If you’re tripping up on your words or second-guessing yourself, it undermines everything implied by your resume.

Spend 10-15 minutes each day rehearsing answers to common questions, particularly behavioral ones. Record yourself, run through practice interviews, and get used to speaking clearly on camera. You don’t need to sound rehearsed, but you do need to sound confident.

This is a great question because it is the biggest problem with communications degrees across the United States. Communications majors have to realize that they are going to be jack of all trades when they’re moving into their first position, they have to understand content, public relations, how to communicate, video, ads platforms, and SEO. Currently 99% of degree plans in colleges at the undergraduate level in the United States do not count for students gaining additional certificates and expertise in addition to the learning and education inside of their degree plan. For example, HubSpot has a number of certificates and topics that you can touch on outside of what you’re learning in the classroom. If a student brings a number of HubSpot certificates plus their degree they’re of significantly more value because I know then that they understand how to do certain things based on what they learned from HubSpot and getting those degrees. Most of the professors don’t understand the need and the value of the additional certifications. For example, if you are teaching Google ads, but the student does not get Google keyword search, display, and apps certified, then they can’t run Google ads for my clients inside of our master account. That training alone will take them a number of days to complete and then I still have to train them on how to use the platform. If you want to stand out as a student from the competition, then you have to have these other certifications under your belt in addition to your degree. On my LinkedIn profile, we have built a spreadsheet of recommended courses by subject matter with the webpages of those courses, and then listed them in prioritized order for which should be completed in what order to help these students be more prepared for the workforce. I’ll be glad to share that in a further discussion.

I think one of the biggest traps a communications major can fall into is just mass sending out resumes. Instead of doing that, see what kind of relationships you can build or nurture. Maybe reach out to some old professors or internship supervisors or just anyone that might be a good connection for you. Make sure to let them know that you’re ready to start looking for a job and then see if they can offer you any advice. Notice that I didn’t say to ask them for a job. You’ll notice that this method gets you much better results than just asking for a job. And you’ll naturally end up getting referrals for open positions that are a good match for you. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that your LinkedIn and your resume are polished and ready for hiring managers. It also won’t hurt to have a publicly available portfolio online. This all puts you in a great position to land an awesome communications job.

The best thing they can do in December is make proof, not polish their resumes. I’ve seen hiring managers move quickly in January and February, and they hire people who already show how they think. That means making clear examples out of class projects, internships, or work for campus organizations. A short Google Doc with real writing, pitches, social media posts, or campaign breakdowns is always better than a perfect GPA.

One useful step. Choose three things, clean them up, and give them some background. What was the goal? What did you do? What changed? That’s all. You’re ready when recruiters ask, “Can you show me your work?” That’s usually what makes the early offers stand out.