Looking for a New Job? Summer may not be the worst time!
January is normally seen as the best time of year to look for a new job. Companies have decided on business and resource plans and are clear on the number and type of jobs to fill for the coming year.
Traditionally the summer months are viewed as being slow in terms of companies filling vacancies. Many hiring managers are on holidays making it difficult to hold interviews and get hiring decision approval. However looking at the numbers of job vacancies on recruitment sites and companies announcing new jobs it appears that there is a strong demand for resources. Now may not be a bad time to get your CV to market!
There are a number of benefits to starting your job search over the summer:
- Candidate pools may be smaller as many candidates take holidays and decide to wait to start their job search in September. With fewer candidates on the market you will be better able to stand out.
- Recruiters and hiring managers may be less pressed for time than in the early part of the year and may be willing to take a longer look at applicants with different backgrounds and experience. For example an experienced professional seeking a career change or returning to work after a period of leave.
- Roles advertised over the summer months are more likely to be essential open vacancies where there are no suitable internal candidates. Therefore hiring managers will be anxious to fill vacancies swiftly from the external market.
Even if companies postpone hiring decisions over the summer you will have your CV with employers for the next round of hiring. Hiring activity increases in September and October as companies focus on meeting business objectives and targets set for the end of the year. Some companies may want to take advantage of remaining budget for the year and realise that they must hire before January or they risk losing allocated funds for new employees.
However the best time to look for a new job is when you make the decision to take on a new challenge, no matter what time of year it happens to be.
