What time of year is it better to look for a job

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

There are more vacancies in the spring and autumn, and in the summer there are more chances of getting a cool position.

January

It’s a sad time to look for a job. Long vacations and an emergency regime on the eve of the holidays lead to a strange situation. While some employees slowly and relaxed enter the new working year, others hastily finish the annual reports. Hardly any of them are determined to communicate with the HR department about vacancies in the department.

The approval of the annual budget in the first months actually continues, so with finances, it is also not clear yet: whether the company will pull one more employee or it is more rational to do without him.

Job seekers support this trend: they rest after vacation and wait for the first truly working month of the year - February.

Elizaveta Rogaleva Head of Recruitment at EPAM Saratov

There are always many vacancies in the IT sector, but according to the activity of candidates, it can be concluded that at the end of December, in January and May they are least interested in employment issues.

The general sentiment is reflected by the HeadHunter statistics.

Dynamics of vacancies

Resume dynamics

What's important

You can look for a job in January, but in addition to professional skills, you will also need luck. This is a period when most companies, even if they open vacancies, do not actively consider candidates. If all else fails, don't give up - it's not you. Or at least not only in you.

February to May

Despite the abundance of holidays, employers' interest in new hires begins to grow during these months. There are more vacancies, and this is due to two factors:

1. The companies got out of the rush of December and the hibernation of January, approved budgets, and decided on the tasks for the year. They are ready to staff teams that will embody far-reaching plans. During this period, vacancies appear not only for line, but also for management positions: last year's reports showed who worked how.
2. Organizations are actively looking for employees for seasonal industries: tourism, construction, and so on. This significantly affects the number of vacancies.

What's important

If you've decided to change jobs, it's time to update your resume. It's a great idea to use numbers from annual reports to illustrate the performance of your current job. However, you should tune in to competition: there are more vacancies, but there are more job seekers as well.

May to August

May is a border month, which it would be fair to include in both periods. On the one hand, personnel officers are still closing vacancies that were opened earlier, on the other hand, the May holidays and the beginning of the vacation season are already changing priorities.

In the summer, departments rarely work in full force. Someone goes on vacation, tasks are distributed among the remaining employees, so that they have no time to be distracted by training newcomers and talking with personnel services. If the sphere assumes that it is possible to work in a relaxed mode in the summer, the question of opening vacancies also does not arise.

But this does not mean that it is impossible to find a job, quite the opposite. There are few vacancies, but there are few job seekers, and the competition is extremely low. In such conditions, it is enough just to get a job, which, say, in April you could not even dream of - simply because of the lack of the best applicants. However, interview rounds can take weeks due to the fact that one or the other boss will be on vacation.

In August, the labor market as a whole is picking up and preparing for a tumultuous September.

The best time to look for a job, in my experience, is August – September. And there are many offers, and candidates are more active in responding to letters from recruiters.

Elizaveta Rogaleva

What's important

If you are not sure if it is worth changing jobs, but are thinking about it, update your resume anyway. In the summer, there are few vacancies, but they are often important and urgent: they are designed to close a hole in the state or solve sudden business problems. This means that recruiters actively research the candidate market and can find you on their own - without any effort on your part.

When applying for a job, do not hesitate: if it contains requirements that you do not quite live up to, it is still worth trying. As a last resort, you will have time to learn everything until September, when the workflow will return to normal.

In addition, this is a hot season for educators of all stripes. Summer is the best time to change school or university. Tutors can start looking for students to break into a full-time school year.

September to November

The spring rise was just a prelude to the autumn activity. This is due to the fact that many postpone their job search until September in order to take a vacation and gain strength for career achievements. Companies have a similar logic: the first half of the year revealed real needs for workers, and besides, it is necessary to have time to close vacancies before the new year in order to fulfill the plan.

Personnel officers work quickly enough and smoothly, so that there will be fewer and fewer vacancies over time.

What's important

There are many vacancies, there are even more resumes, the competition is extremely high. If you are applying for a leadership position, you will have to fight many applicants to prove that you are the best. For line employees, the chance of finding a job is extremely high: pay attention to all job search options and, most likely, you will find something.

December

It will be really difficult to find a job in December. All departments sum up the results of the year, fill out reports in order to plunge into the abyss of corporate events and go on vacation. Even if a firm has many open positions and is actively conducting interviews, it is likely that the final decision will be postponed until January. And after the holidays, they may well decide that new employees are not so needed.

Companies have a year-end closing, budget planning and holidays - there is no time to search for employees. But at this time - in December, January and May - there are more offers for interns and trainees.

Elizaveta Rogaleva

What's important

To find a permanent job in December, you have to be lucky. But many companies need temporary staff for seasonal employment. Fair vendors, animators, holiday organizers and more - take a look.

What to remember

1. If you can't find a job in December or January, it's not about you, a miracle is required here.
2. If you want to choose from a variety of vacancies, look for them in the fall or spring. But the competition will also be high.
3. If you are planning to make a career break, do not relax in the summer. Take advantage of the low competition and don't be afraid to submit resumes for the best jobs.