The Best Time to Look for a Job (And When to Avoid)

The Best Time to Look for a Job (And When to Avoid) The 2 Best Times of Year to Apply for Jobs (And When to Avoid) Applying for Jobs / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Note: If youre looking for the best days or timesof the week to apply for jobs, you can read it in this article. Thearticle below is about which times of year and specific months are best.What is the Best Time of Year to Look for Jobs?January and February is the best time of year to look for a job. Hiring managers have received new hiring budgets for the year, the majority of workers are back from holiday vacation, and companies also often have a backlog of hiring that they have been meaning to do but had paused during the holiday season. For these reasons, January and February are excellent months to look for jobs.There are more times in the year that are better than others to apply for jobs, too. So were going to go month-by-month in this article. After finishing this article you will know the best times to apply for jobs, as well as the worst times of the year to apply.Why January/February is one of the Best Times to Look for Jobs:The beginning of t he year (January and February) is a greattime for getting hiredin most industries. In fact itsprobably the best time to look for jobs allyear in most industries.January usually starts slowlyas people come back from holiday vacations but by the second weekof the month, things are running smoothly. Oncethat happens, hiring pick up pretty fastand lots of phone interviews and first round interviews start happening.This is the time of year when the greatest number of decision-makers are in the office together, so you can get a Yes much fasterand start that new job you want!Just make sure you follow-up after your interview because hiring managers tend to be pretty busy this time of year not just with hiring but with other tasks too. So if you havent heard feedback for a week after your interview, check in via email and ask again.Another reason these two months are so good:Companies usuallyget their new hiring budgets for the year in January, and a lot of the hiring activity that was delay ed in November and December can now move forward.So theyll have a backlog of jobs that need to be filled, and you can come in and fill it!Many companies also pay annual bonuses in December, so a lot of people wait until January to change jobs. Companies expect this so they look to make lots of new hires in January. One more reason its a great time of year to search for jobs.March, April, and May:These months are still very good times to apply for jobs, for a few reasons.The surge in hiring inJan and Feb usually keeps some momentum until summer arrives (more on that in the next section). So March, April and May are still great times to try to line up a ton of interviews and land a new job.However, it also means theres more competition. More people are applying for jobs, and receiving interviews this time of year. So make sure you practice job interview questions and answers so you dont waste the opportunity.Heres why this time of year is good in general: As you get closer to summers, companies feel more pressure to finish the interview process and hire somebody. This is because they know people in the company will go on vacation in the summer and itll be harder to finish up the hiring process.Example: You start the interview process in early May. After a couple of rounds of interviews, its near the end of May, and two key members of the team are going on vacation next month.Theyre likely to rush tofinish the process with you before they leave. Normally theymight drag their feet and put it lower on their list of priorities(if youve interviewed enough youll know that sometimes companies take FOREVER to finalize things).This wont always happen but its a likely scenario that can work in your favor. Obviously each company is different and its entirely possible a hiring manager will say, lets finish this up as soon as I return from vacation.Applying For Jobs in June, July and August Could Be ToughThe summer months are usually slower, and typically arent one of thebes t times to apply for jobs. Managers take more vacations during the summer and its harder to get a team together to conduct a face-to-face interview or make hiring decisions.If youre job searching in the summer and cant find a job, this could be why.Companies also fill many of their open positions during the hiring push at the beginning of the year (In January-May), so theres less of a need by the timethe summer months come around.Thatdoesnt mean there arent any jobs to be had; you just have to searcha little bit harder.You might be able to stand out due to the fact that there are less applicants during the summer months. Because of this, its still worthwhile to do some job hunting in the summertime.You just need a bit more patience to put up with people being on vacation and other delays. Dont expect to finish the interview process and get hired in one week.If you decide not to apply during the summer months, you can still work on getting your resume in top shape, and planning/strat egizing your job search for SeptemberLooking for Jobs in September and October is Usually Good:September and October are one of the best times to apply for jobs (along with January and February mentioned earlier). Why?Hiring happens in waves. Summerwas slow, so theearly Fallspeeds up. Especially as hiring managers return from vacation.More interviews happen and theres lessdowntime and waiting. The hiring process is smoother overalland you can get from start to finish faster.Is this better than January and February? In most industries its a bit of a toss-up. Id say its almost as good. If January and February arethe best time of year to apply for jobs, this isthe second best for sure!September and October are great times to job hunt. Take advantage.Applying in November andDecember:I dont want this next sectionto discourage you from starting to apply for jobs and getting a leg up on the competition.Just know thatNovember and December and typically pretty slowtimes if youre hoping to ge t a lot of interviewsand see job offers fast. Heres whyAs November rolls around, hiring managers and HR departments startto put aside their hiring goalsand save things for the beginning of next year.They get new hiringbudgetsin the new year and less people are on vacation so its easier for them to wait.People are lazier in the Winter months in general. Im sure youve felt it you have a few weeks before the holidays and you decide a few tasks can wait for the new year. Unfortunately your job application might be one of those tasks that somebody decides to put off until the new year.Also, late November and December are popular times for vacations so the hiring manager might not be in the office.Why the End ofDecember Could Still Be a Good Time toApply for Jobs:Even though I just gave you a few reasons why December isnt a great time tolook for jobs, youcan still submit job applications so that youre ahead of the competition when everyone returns to the office in January!At any given tim e, at least someone from HR will be in the office. Just dont expect to receive a whole lot of interviews right away, aside from the initial phone call maybe.As long as you dont mind this, the end of December can be a great time to start your job search. And youll probably finish the process and start your new job in February or March.Recap: The Best Times to Apply for JobsJanuary: Good time to look for jobs, but the first two weeks might be slow as people return from holidays.February: Excellent time to apply for jobs and look for jobs.March, April, May: Very good times of year to be job searching.June, July, August: Not the best times to apply for jobs, but still possible to find a great position. Just be prepared for a slower interview process, as more key staff taking vacations during the summer.September and October: Excellent time of year to look for jobs and apply for jobs.November: Typically relatively good, as companies are trying to make their final hires before the year en ds. However, the final one or two weeks of November can slow down a lot due to the upcoming holidays.December: Typically a very slow month where not much will happen in terms of hiring for most companies.If you follow the advice above youll be applying at the best times for getting hired. Youll get more interviews (and the process will move faster) so you can end your job search sooner.Dont Overthink the TimingWhile this data can guide you, dont overthink it! If you just graduated in the spring and need to find a job in the summer, thats fine. Attack your job search head-on!If you got laid off in November and need to find a job in December or early January, go do it. Dont let this article discourage you or stop you. The truth is you can get a job in any month, at any time. And you only need one job, right?The data above is just to guide you and provide background info about why certain times of year and considered better for job searching and hiring.UPDATE:Ifyou have interviews comi ng up and don’t want to leave anything to chance, I’ve created anew guide where you can copymy exactstep-by-step method for getting job offers. You canget more details here.Likethis post?Pin it to save fornext time you need it!