Is there such thing as a hiring season?
Dark nights and hot chocolate, longer days and cherry blossom, warm evenings and pub gardens, crispy leaves and pumpkins… There is a season for anything you can think of, including recruiting!
As recruiters, we know that jobs can be easier to find during certain months and seasons. Let’s break it down –
January/February
January and February are very much hit and miss months when it comes to companies recruiting. The holiday season is just over, people need to get back in the swing of things and recruitment is not always first on the ‘to do’ list. However, depending on how different companies budgets work, this could be a very different story, if a company is working January to January – you have a good chance of being hired! Most companies do work on the tax year though, so January and February could be the months they tighten their belts to ensure profit at the end of the financial year.
March/April/May
In our opinion, the best time to find a new role! Most companies have a brand new budget, and are looking at how the last year went, enabling them to see what isn’t working, where the gaps are for new positions and having the money there to do it! We also feel that people are refreshed during these months, no more dark mornings and nights, warmer weather – its nearly summer – people are in high spirits and settled into the year properly.
June/July/August
Another holiday season – not the best when you are looking for a new job! People are on holiday, the schools break up and people are generally busier. This doesn’t mean it isn’t a great time to job hunt – think about it – the more people on holiday, the less competition you have. As recruiters, we find it really hard to call how these months will go, but due to holidays/schools this could be an ideal time for a temporary position if that’s what you’re looking for.
September/October
Everyone is back from holidays, the kids are back in school and people are feeling refreshed! September and October could be a very good month to find your dream job, the pressure of coming to the end of the year have not quite kicked in yet but hiring managers know this is probably the last chance they have to make a big difference to the year. Companies also like hiring in these months as it gives people enough time to settle in before Christmas arrives.
November/December
Winter is an ironic season isn’t it? It’s probably the busiest of months in your personal lives, yet we feel the laziest during these months, dark mornings and nights, cold and wet weather - welcome to Winter!
Companies start to wind down for the year, and in the construction sector a lot of our clients close down over Christmas so this probably isn’t the best time to look for a permanent role. However, it could be another good opportunity for temporary staff to fill in any gaps, but let’s face it; we all have better things to be doing than looking for a new job at this time of the year!
So to conclude; is there a hiring season? It really is dependent on you, the company and the industry. There are definitely better times of the year to search and apply; Christmas Eve not being one of them! In the quieter months of the year, prepare
yourself for the rush, update your CV, increase skills and get new experience.
Most importantly – DO NOT GIVE UP! Starting a job search, regardless of the season, is never easy. Patience and time are they key to succeed, Rome wasn’t built in a day, your job search won’t end in a day either.