When's The Best Time to Apply For A Job?
Timing more often than not can be the main reason why some people get hired quickly. How do you know if you are approaching your job search correctly? Is there a best time to apply for jobs?
There are so many moving parts like staff turnover, seasonal needs, earning reports and the state of the economy. We are supposed to land a job regardless of all the factors that may be working against us.
If you are wondering when is the best time to apply for a job, unfortunately there is not one right answer. However, getting to know the general trends can help you increase your chances of success. Keep reading to find out when are the best times to apply for jobs.
Manic Mondays Maybe?
Recruiters and hiring managers (heck anyone who has a work email) typically open their email after their weekend to a more or less full inbox. Some might have a relatively slow start to the week and get through the day by prioritizing their inbox but others might begin full of energy and end up depleted towards the end of the day.
Tuesdays Through Thursdays Are Where It’s At
Hopefully by Tuesday the Monday blues are over, the most urgent issues and meetings have been handled and people are back to their “usual” routine. Wednesdays and Thursdays are typically the best days for getting these things done including job applications.
Freaky Fridays
It is finally the end of the week for recruiters and they might be in a hurry to finish any pending tasks and plan ahead for the upcoming week. If you send in your application and resume on a Friday, it won’t get much attention and might get forgotten.
Weekend Worry
Hiring managers and recruiters do not work over the weekends so you won’t get a reply right away. If you decide to apply over the weekend, rest assured your resume might not get acknowledged till Monday. If you can schedule it, send your resume on Sunday so that way your resume will hopefully be at the top of the recruiter’s inbox and potentially have a chance of being noticed.
When Is The Best Time to Submit Job Applications?
When it comes to submitting your resume at a specific time, keep in mind that businesses have different schedules so there is not a one size fits all standard across the board. It is useful to research whether the company or industry that you are targeting has set working hours like 9-5, etc.
Companies working in the context of 24-hour shifts might have earlier lunch hours. Businesses operating over the weekend could end up opening your application over the weekend.
Remember The Early Bird Gets The Worm!
Sending in your job application early in the morning gives you an ideal spot in a recruiter’s inbox. The sweet spot is between 6a.m. to 10a.m. so as to get in before the day begins and the tasks start to add up.
Post-Lunch Is A Good Idea
After lunch is one of the best times to apply for a job as checking emails after the recruiter gets back to their computer is common practice. Not only are they more likely to see your application, but you might spend more time on your resume before completing other important tasks.
Late Nights
If you already have a full-time job, nighttime might be the best time to apply for jobs. It can also be an optimal choice to ensure that you show up in the recruiter’s inbox first thing in the AM.
Recruitment Trends On A Yearly Basis
In order to get hired you want to think like a recruiter by figuring out when the demand for new hires is on the uptick. It is easiest to think of hiring in different seasons:
Winter Is Coming
More often than not, the new year means a new company budget and recruiters are going to use this source of funding to hire for open positions. In turn, this makes the first quarter a busy time for recruiting. For executive level job seekers, the first half of the year is essential for recruiting and hiring purposes. January through mid-June is the biggest time for senior executive job related searches.
Spring Is In Bloom
Springtime is when recruiters tend to hire college graduates. Companies will begin the hiring process in April so that recent graduates are in place by the beginning of June.
Summer Is Here
When summer begins you can expect a recruitment slowdown overall as employees take vacations and offices shift to summer hours and flexible schedules. It can take longer for human resources to sift through applications, set up interviews and respond to emails as vacation schedules tend to take priority. Job searches for executive level roles can drag on because they require interviews with several people within an organization.
Fall Hiring - Turning Over A New Leaf
Once the fall comes and staff returns to full capacity, recruitment and hiring pick up again. Hiring managers return to work from their summer vacations and are looking to fill any vacant roles. Department executives are also motivated to use up any funding that is left unused. If you apply for jobs after Labor Day, you can expect quick responses from recruiters and hiring managers which means less downtime between numerous rounds of interviews.
There Are Always Exceptions
It is important to know that specific companies and industries have unique recruitment cycles. Paying attention to economic trends in your particular field can help you predict when recruiters and hiring managers will be available. Positions in construction, property and real estate are based on the housing market. Industries in general may be particularly sensitive to supply chain disruptions and various turnover rates.
So how can you as a candidate get into the recruitment pipeline? Spend additional time on your job search during winter. Establish a daily routine that includes looking at new job postings, researching interesting top tier companies, updating your resume and cover letter, responding in a timely manner to recruiters and hiring managers and of course following up after interviews.
How To Expand Your Network
The summer is a slow period for hiring so schedule time to network. This is also the best time to schedule informational interviews.
Regardless of when you decide to look for work, the best approach is to look daily by researching companies, updating your resume, applying to interesting opportunities and networking. If a job you apply for is available and companies are looking to hire soon, there is no slow period. This means that if a company or their hiring team is organized you might do an interview and receive an offer pretty quickly.
To get proper insight into a company’s individual hiring process make sure to do your research. Look through an organization’s social media pages to get a sense of their hiring practices.
If there is a particular company that you are interested in, you can stay up to date on news announcements that might indicate that they are hiring. Keep in mind that recruiters and hiring managers are affected by current market conditions and the specific industry.