Best Time of the Year for a Job Hunt
August 5, 2018
New Year New Job
January and February are the best months of the year to look for full-time positions. Companies are starting fresh, sales quarters are finished, and new ideas are in the works for new year’s resolutions. This is the time of year when most businesses have some extra money to throw around in terms of hiring time, and they know exactly what positions they need to fill or create in terms of how they did overall the previous year. Even though January starts up slow for most companies, as employees are returning and getting back into a routine after the holidays, there are the most openings at the start of the years. Interviews or signing may take a bit longer in January due to vacation times, but most people jump on board for full-time positions rather than temporary at the start of the year.
Spring Fling
During spring months, new product releases are extremely popular, leaving less time for the hiring of new positions. There is a better chance of getting a long-term job at the beginning of spring, in March and early April, than at the end of April and May. Businesses who typically hire in May are urgently looking for another set of hands to help out for the summer as most employees take time off. Hires in May might not be the best culture fit and last as long as those hired in January and February, as there is more of a rush for yearly sales later in the year.
Vacation time
Summertime is generally the worst time to start a job hunt, many employees are on vacation and they are looking to hire lower budget work, such as college interns. Large corporations will spend the summer months analyzing what went on in the winter and spring and start to gear up for the fall and winter again. There is a more chaotic schedule, as people are typically in and out of the office, between vacation trips and watching their kids while not in school. This leaves less time and money for HR to seek and hire new employees. Summer is the best time to research companies and talk to employees before spending a real bulk of time on applications and interviews of a culture which may not be fitting.
Fall Hire
Fall is a great time to look for a job, as people are returning full time, and companies will be gearing up for the holiday months to come. As fall is calmer, interview and signing processes will be smoother and more focused, since there is less rush for sales. As this may be an easier time for the hiring process, it can also be more competitive as people are looking for a change at this time of the year, and many college graduates are ready to being again. To ensure a great position, start early and use the summer months to do plenty of research to wean out those rushing to get hired.
Cold Winter
Alongside summer, November and December are extremely hard months to land full-time positions. Companies are looking to get help with holiday sales, and they want immediate part-time employees, this would be lower budget employees, often students. Since there is such a rush around this time, there is limited time for a whole hiring process to go smoothly. Around the new year is also the time when companies do a full analysis of their whole year. Then after this time, assessments to make full positions, or open new ones come about, beginning the hiring process in January and February. If you are looking for temporary quick work, November and December are your months to work, but full-time culture fits would be best in the months following.