Have you ever wondered what are the best months to look for a job? Maybe you already knew not to look for a job in summer but here’s the best and worst months to get hired.
Usually hiring happens in waves and organisations tend to have several open positions at once, after a period of not recruiting however not all companies operate in the same way so this guide must be taken as a general rule.
New year, new job! The year starts off slowly but once everyone is back at work decisions tend to be made quickly and there’s no better time than the beginning of the year to have managers all in one place. The reason why lots of positions tend to be open in January is because this is when new budgets are available hence the increased personnel.
Pro tip: One sneaky reason for the vacant positions is that people wait until the end of the year to resign in order to receive their annual bonuses!
If you are job hunting in these months make sure to be even more to the point with your presentation and to follow up with the recruiter as they are probably quite busy in this time of the year.
March, April and May are promising although not the highest in terms of filled positions. If you’ve been looking unsuccessfully you might want to tweak your resume a little or learn about the power of personal branding
Although not the highest months in terms of open positions competition is actually lower so this averages out to make the spring months quite fruitful for job applicants.
June is an ambivalent month. While you are not likely to get hired at the start of summer this might be a time when hiring managers start to look for candidates to fill positions they know will be available starting September.
Unfortunately the summer months are unanimously the worst time of the year for job hunters. This is a time in which people are going on vacations or thinking about going on vacation so not much hiring is getting done here. However if you are in fact looking for a job in summer take advantage of the diminished competition as there will be less applicants.
If you have the chance take some time off and find a creative outlet, this will almost certainly help you look at things in new perspectives and you’ll be ready to tackle whatever issue has been lurking in the background and preventing you from finding a job.
Similarly to the new year, these fall months are very productive for hiring managers. After a slow summer, staff is usually expected to hit the ground running in september so this means chances are higher for you to get hired.
You might have noticed a recurring pattern and this is because like most things hiring also happens in waves which means a slow hiring season will be followed by a fast one.
You might have correctly guessed by now that the winter months, are the second worst period to get hired following the months of July and August. People are usually pushing back any decision-making and trying to wrap up any unsolved issue, moreover the holidays definitely give most people a lot to think about between gift giving and hopefully taking some time off; but don’t be discouraged as January is right around the corner!
As mentioned, this general guide is meant to give you some insight in the job hunting process but don’t forget that job positions are available at any time of the year and just waiting for the right candidate to come along, so it’s absolutely possible to find a job even in the slowest months.
If you want to up your chances here’s a few things you can do:
Still have doubts?
Perhaps you’ll be interested in this article on How to deal with a Career Change and after you’ve nailed your interview you’ll want to know about Negotiation Techniques!
