For many years, I have tracked the cycles in hiring and job hunting to see if there are discernable patterns to job hunting success.
Although there have been exceptions (such as in the opst-9/11 recessions), the two best times of the year to find work are in the period following Labor Day and in the period following the start of the new year.
The reasons for this are pretty simple.
In the post-Labor Day boomlet, job hunters believe that with summer vacations over, companies can get back to hiring. This longstanding myth creates a self-fulfilling prophecy that helps to create the result (in fact, summers are very strong periods for looking for work because companies find fewer choices so job hunters get great results).
In addition, managers want to exhaust their budgets and fulfill their commitments so more hiring is done to help them achieve objectives.
In the period after January 1, new budgets start to go into place, bonus are already determined (even if they haven’t been paid yet, people know when they will be receiving them and are willing to end a “bad situation”) and the Christmas lethargy comes to an end.
So, if you’ve been thinking of looking for work, act now.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
To subscribe to Jeff’s free job search ezine, Head Hunt Your Next Job, go to www.headhuntyournextjob.com. To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you or search for openings, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com. For information about personal search services, go to www.vippersonalsearch.com.
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
