I thought I would just write a brief update to the Job Seeker diary and to wish you all a Happy New Year!
The Festive Season rudely interrupted my job Search, so there hasn’t been a huge amount of activity that I can add. I am interviewing with 8 companies over the next few weeks and so I am very confident that I will find an interesting role in the near future. But I do want to return to my point about the festive season; I’ve had a number of people comment about the timing of my search, as they felt I couldn’t have chosen a worse time. The job market in December is never buoyant, however, one fact that has been overlooked is that many organisations look to ramp up their recruitment in the first 2 quarters of the year. As such, many organisations look to appoint to their resourcing teams in December/January in order to be organised in time for the surge in activity. Whilst my number of interviews is extremely encouraging, it is also a trend of the market and not just a reflection on how great I am!! (That is a tongue in cheek comment, in case any potential employer feels I’m rather immodest!) I have been in a fortunate position to be able to treat my job hunt as a full time search and I would strongly suggest that if you are also able to be in such a position, it is vital that you time your search with a buoyant time in the job market. Typically February/March, May to July and October/November are the best times, but as my own search has shown you may find your own may have a specific time, so make sure you seek advice.
Key points for a job seeker
- Whether you’re searching for roles whilst employed or unemployed try and time your search with a busy period in the job market. You may be up against more competition, but there will be more roles to choose from.
- Ask advice from experts within your field as to when the busy periods are; it may not be that obvious.
- If you plan to look in these busy periods it is likely you will be better prepared than your competition!
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Ed Scrivener has been providing 3rd party recruitment solutions for nearly 10 years. He has now decided to transfer his skills into an in-house recruitment position. If you can help Ed in any way, please contact him at [email protected]
