Anyone who has been looking for work for an extended period of time can tell you that different times of year offer different odds of getting contacted for interviews and job offers. You may get TONS of calls in the early months, but then almost none by the time summer hits. Yes, there are job hunting seasons and today we’ll be giving you a guide for finding the perfect time to submit your application.
January – February
The start of the new year is the PERFECT time to look for a new job! This is typically when businesses get their updated budgets and have more resources to bring on new talent. Avoid the very beginning of January though. Many employers are coming back from holiday breaks, so it’s best to wait until after the first week before submitting your application. Now, because companies have the resources and time to bring on new employees, you may notice the interview and application process may take a bit longer than normal. Hang in there because this is the best time of year for you to pick up a long-term or ongoing position!
March – May
Spring is still a great time to get a job by piggy-backing off of the new year hiring surge. Many companies will still be looking to fill positions with the upcoming summer season and still have plenty of resources to do so. The one drawback is that many of the choice jobs will have been filled by people who applied earlier in the year. You should still see plenty of advertising for new jobs, just be mindful that it may not be the best of the best of the positions that companies would have had to offer a few months earlier.
June – August
Summertime, unfortunately, offers the worst odds of finding a new job. Many hiring managers and other decision makers in companies will be on vacation, hiring resources from earlier in the year are typically depleted, and businesses will typically only be looking for minimum wage and entry level candidates. Even though there may not be many jobs available, that doesn’t mean this is a dead period if you’re looking for work. Take this time to learn about companies you are interested in and get in contact to begin the first steps of the application process so that you’re ready for the upcoming fall season hiring wave.
September – October
Autumn offers another wave of opportunity for people looking for work. Hiring managers are refreshed and back from vacations and are more available for interviews, businesses are looking to use up any extra budget resources as the year comes to a close, and executives are putting pressure on recruiters to fill positions or risk losing them entirely. They are also looking to fill any positions that opened after people hired earlier in the year may have left. All of this plays to your advantage, and if you used the summer to get ready, you should be in great position to find a new job!
November – December
Unless you’re looking for a temporary holiday season job, late fall and early winter don’t offer the best odds for getting a great position. That is due to several factors including: hiring managers sacrificing their schedule for holiday shopping and time with family, travel arrangements being made, and end of year budget constraints restricting hiring capabilities. Many businesses will put off bringing any new employees until the start of the next year. The upside there is that once the holiday season is over, businesses go into a hiring frenzy and start bringing on new talent in droves! (See top of article)
–Tyler Geeve, Staff Source Marketing/Recruiting Assistant