The holiday season is a perfect chance to spend quality time with friends and family. It’s fun to put up holiday decorations, exchange gifts and attend holiday gatherings.

If we’re lucky, we get lots of rest, and extra time doing things we enjoy.

But, there’s one thing you shouldn’t forget about this holiday season – your job search. Fortunately, the Labor Department reported that over 300,000 jobs were added this November alone in the U.S.

In fact, it looks like we may be rivaling 1999 job growth levels.

What will this mean for you in 2015? Well, for starters, you should begin to see more job postings available online. As the number of jobs grow, the number of available workers should shrink and hopefully this will help to create a more competitive wage.

That means this is the perfect time for you to put your job search game plan together for next year.

While most employers are taking their holiday vacations, use this time to do your research and make decisions.

Begin to answer a few basic questions:

• Where do you want to live?

• What type of job would you like to have?

• What type of company would you like to work for?

• How much money do you want to make?

• How quickly do you want to make a change?

As you narrow your focus, your target will become clearer. Begin to write a list of possible companies you might want to work for.

One of the biggest concerns of job seekers today is finding a company that’s emotionally healthy, and that treats employees with respect and appreciation. It’s often more important to job seekers than money.

To find out if your list of companies fits this criteria, check out sites like Glassdoor.com. Employees rate companies based on many factors, similar to how you might rank a restaurant or hotel online.

If you know someone who has worked at one of your target companies, invite them to coffee. Sitting down and talking over food is often one of the best ways to get the inside scoop on an organization.

Begin to monitor online job postings every day. As you find jobs you’re interested in, apply as soon as possible. Great jobs often attract hundreds of resumes.

In addition to sending in your application online, look for offline ways to get noticed. It’s not uncommon for a hiring manager to never see your resume because it was filtered out of the online applicant tracking system.

The holidays can be a difficult time. In addition to the great memories, you may find yourself juggling your schedule. You may also encounter stressful situations such as money difficulties or challenging relatives.

Between the craziness, take a little time to do something for yourself.Your job search is truly an investment in your own future. It’s a gift to both you, and your family.

Spend the time to work on your own search and strategy. Your future and your bank account will thank you.

Angela Copeland is CEO/founder of Copeland Coaching, CopelandCoaching.com, and author of “Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job.” She also hosts the Copeland Coaching Podcast on iTunes. You can follow Copeland Coaching on Twitter (@CopelandCoach) and Facebook (facebook.com/CopelandCoaching).