Consider Recruitment Cycles when Looking for a Job

When looking for a job, timing isn’t everything but it’s definitely something to consider.

Being in the right place at the right time sometimes can get you a job but how do you know if you’re timing your job search just right?  There are many aspects to job hunting to consider.  What is turnover rate of an industry?  Are there seasonal needs?  How is the economy affecting the hiring that an industry?  It’s often tough to figure it all out and get a job.

One aspect of the job hunt to consider is the recruitment cycle. Like most business functions, recruiting and hiring activity has ebbs and flows, and if you pay attention, you just might be able to time your application to when a hiring manager is most eager to bring in new talent.

Here’s a look at how recruitment cycles may factor into your job search:

General recruitment trends throughout the year

When I’m coaching someone on getting a job, I tell them to think like a recruiter, namely, figuring out when demand for new hires is the greatest. It’s easiest to think of hiring in seasons:

Winter: The first quarter of the new year is always a busy time for management recruitment because of new budgets starting.  The end of the year could be tough as they have spent all of the recruitment budget for advertising, job fairs. etc.  Staffers are generally taking less time off this time of year since they’re just coming out of the holiday season, which helps speed up the hiring process in quarter one, as well.

For job seekers at the executive level, the first half of the year is prime time for recruiting and hiring. While executive hiring can happen at any time, senior job searches do have seasons where things tend to be most active—January through mid-June is the biggest uninterrupted time for search.

Spring: Companies start their recruitment process with the goal of having everyone in place by June 1st – before summer hits.

Summer: Once summer hits, you can expect a recruiting slowdown, as people start taking vacations and offices shift to more relaxed summer hours and flextime schedules.

That’s not to say that you should never look for work in the summer; just expect that it will be a slower-moving process. Job searches that start just before or during the summer can tend to drag, as vacation schedules can get in the way of moving the processes forward, especially for higher-level roles that require interviews with several people in the organization.

Fall: Once the fall comes and staffs return to full force, recruitment/hiring picks up again to fill any vacant roles before the holidays roll around (and to use up budgets before they run out – budgets are often use or lose).

Exceptions to the rules

It’s important to recognize that some companies and industries have unique management recruitment cycles.

For example, January through April is peak season for tax and accounting professionals, so there may not be a lot of vacancies for those seeking such positions in the first quarter. The rest of the year is when firms will concentrate on recruiting, since they always want their people to start before the busy season.

Paying attention to economic trends in your field can also help you predict when recruiters and hiring managers will be on the hunt. Some positions are often dependent on the specific needs of a company in a current economic market—for example, during a construction or real estate boom.

How to work the recruitment cycles

To get a better sense of when hiring in your field is up, try these strategies:

Think ahead. The budgets for some hires, especially for newly created roles, are often lumped into the next fiscal year budget. Consequently employers often start searches ahead of the fiscal year to have someone in place when the funds become available for the new hire. That means looking over the fall for roles that may not begin until January, depending on the company’s fiscal year. So if you want to start a new job in January, don’t wait until winter to send out resumes—start looking at job ads during the fall.

Network during downtime.  Networking during slower periods can yield great results. That’s because during the calmer summer months and the holiday season, people may have more free time to connect and be a little more relaxed when they do. This is also a great time to schedule informational interviews.

Tap into social media for intel. Look through companies’ social media pages to try to get a sense of the their hiring practices and timelines. You might be able to pick up on a particular pattern. Or, you can even potentially reach out directly to someone who works at the company to inquire about hiring cycles.

Finally, if there’s a particular company you’re interested in, stay up to date on news announcements that might indicate a hiring boom is on the way—expansion, new product lines, an influx of capital funding, etc.

In times of talent shortage, things may move quickly. If a job is open and companies are looking to hire soon, there is no slow period. With the current 4% unemployment rate, companies have to react quick and some companies will get their ducks in a row and do a one-interview process and get an offer out that day.

No matter when you look for work, the best approach is to hope for a sprint, but plan for a marathon. And like preparing for a marathon you need to train daily by networking, researching, and actively looking for opportunities.”

Get in the cycle

Keep in mind that recruiters and hiring managers are affected by many variables, including market conditions, industry, having to fill roles unexpectedly, and more, so positions can open up at any time.

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Recruitment Specialists can help you solve the cycle issue.