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Hey guys, it's late November, which means your boss (or your future manager) is probably in budget meetings right now deciding who gets raises, promotions, and headcount for 2026. Once those budgets are locked, usually by mid-December or late January, your window closes until next year.
Here's why this matters: October's job report showed 67,000 jobs added when economists predicted losses. Unemployment dropped to 6.9%. The labor market is tighter than headlines suggest, which means you have more leverage than you think. But only if you act now.
📊 Why now is the best time to find a job
💰 The exact playbook to get your raise
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💼 Your November Career Move: Get a Raise OR New Job?
Most people think January is the time to ask for a raise or start job hunting. Wrong. January is when you find out what was already decided in November. Here's your playbook for both paths—and how to know which one to take.
PATH 1: Stay and get paid more
Step 1: Know your timing (this week or next)
Budget cycles typically run November 15 - December 15. If your company does annual reviews in Q1, compensation decisions are being made RIGHT NOW. Don't wait for your performance review. That's a retrospective conversation. You need to have the budget conversation before the budget exists.
Action: Schedule a meeting with your manager for this week or next. Subject line: "Quick chat about 2026 planning."
Step 2: Bring data, not feelings
Your boss doesn't care that rent went up or that you "work really hard." They care about business justification. Here's how to approach this:
Your prep work:
Inflation number: 2.4% (that's the floor for any raise)
Your wins: List 3-5 specific accomplishments from the past year with numbers (revenue generated, costs saved, projects completed, problems solved)
Market rate: Check Glassdoor, Payscale, or LinkedIn Salary for your role + location
Scope creep: Are you doing more than your job description? Write it down.
What to say: "I want to talk about compensation for next year. Based on my contributions—[insert your top 3 wins with numbers]—and the fact that I've taken on [additional responsibilities], I'm looking at a [X%] increase to bring me to [specific number]."
The magic number: Ask for 10-15% if you're underpaid, 5-10% if you're fairly paid. Inflation alone justifies 2.4%, so anything less is a pay cut in real terms.
Step 3: Read the room
If they say YES immediately: You asked too low. But take it and note for next time.
If they say "let me think about it": Good sign. Follow up in 3-5 days.
If they say "budgets are tight": Pivot. Say: "I understand. What does a path to [your number] look like? Is there a timeline we can commit to?"
PATH 2: Leave and Level Up
If any of these apply, skip the raise conversation and start job hunting.
How to decide it’s time:
You haven't gotten a raise in 2+ years
Your manager can't/won't advocate for you
Your title doesn't match your responsibilities
They say "just be grateful you have a job"
Company's had record profits but "no budget for raises"
You've asked before and got nowhere
Your EOY job-hunt plan:
Week 1 (Nov 25-29): LinkedIn overhaul
Update headline with results: eg "Marketing Manager | Grew revenue 40% YoY"
Turn on "Open to Work" (recruiters only, not public)
Write 3 posts about your expertise or sharing industry intelligence (algorithm boost)
Message 5 former colleagues/managers (holiday networking)
Week 2 (Dec 2-6): Application blitz
Quality over quantity: send 4-7 highly-targeted applications
Use the EXACT keywords from job descriptions in your resume
Customize cover letters (yes, still matters for 30% of roles)
Apply Tuesday-Thursday mornings (highest response rates)
Week 3 (Dec 9-13): Network!
Holiday parties = networking gold (people are relaxed, budgets are set)
Set up coffee chats with 5-10 people at companies you want to work for
Most people start job hunting in January. You'll have 3 weeks of momentum, conversations in progress, and interviews lined up while everyone else is just thinking about updating their resume.
Where the jobs are now (from October data):
Retail/wholesale: +41,000 (management, not cashiers)
Transportation/logistics: +30,000
Manufacturing: +8,700
Don't chase tech right now (Amazon -14K, IBM -2.7K) - and if you do, keep reading for fresh job postings
PATH 3: The Meta-Strategy (Do Both)
Here's a thing: getting a raise and getting a new job require the same skill—self-advocacy. Most people are incredible at their jobs but terrible at explaining their value. That's the real career bottleneck.
This is why we’ve put together our Boost course.
Here's what our 6 modules will teach you:
How to translate your work into business impact (not just "I did tasks")
How to position yourself internally (for raises) and externally (for job offers)
Frameworks top performers use to advocate for themselves
At the end, you will get a job-ready resume, as well as confidence in your personal pitch and interviews.
Ready to get started this month?
For the first 50 users who sign up, we’re offering a $50 credit towards our Premium Plan. With our Premium Plan, you will get direct feedback on your course progress and a resume review at the end.
USE CODE: GOBOOST
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💼 Jobs Highlights
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Make sure to Follow Boost on LinkedIn. We’re posting the hottest job postings directly from the hiring managers every couple of days. Don’t miss the freshest jobs that will connect you directly to the hiring manager!
More jobs:
📍 Parks Canada is hiring for IT jobs in Alberta
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📍Salesfloor is looking for a Sr Full Stack Developer
📍Shakudo, an AI infrastructure startup from Toronto is hiring for 10+ engineering ans sales roles