When to look for a job: tips + experience

Wondering when to look for a job?

Even after working for many years in one place, people periodically think about changing their field of activity. The question: "When is the best time to look for a job" does not become less relevant. This applies not only to young workers, but also to experienced professionals.

The speed of finding a new place depends on many factors: the acquired skills, the season, the existing demand for specialists in the required field. The easiest way is for universal workers – they easily take root in any niche and quickly find a new job. It is more difficult for narrowly focused applicants to find a company that is suitable for payment and conditions.

What is important when choosing a job

About 30% of all residents of the country annually change jobs. Some are no longer satisfied with the existing conditions, others find a place with a higher pay.

Before you start looking for a new company for yourself, you should know what to look for when choosing a company or vacancy.

Main nuances:

1. The first place rightfully belongs to wages. Payment is made according to the list of duties and requirements put forward. Normal employers are ready to pay more to people with experience and a certain amount of knowledge, because they are aimed at a fruitful work process.
2. The second point is the financial stability of the enterprise. Before you get a job in a company, you should find out what their position in the market has been for the last 5 years. If the company often experiences ups and downs, it is better to avoid employment there. Difficulties in the company are almost always equivalent to problems with the payment of wages, bonuses and sick leave.
3. Opportunity for career growth. Businesses that allow new, ambitious professionals to regularly move up the career ladder are in demand when looking for work.
4. Stable employment. When people are looking for work, it is important for them that the company or firm provides them with stable working conditions. If work has seasonal downturns, it means that staff are often reduced in this place.
5. Atmosphere. Being in a new place should be not only profitable, but also comfortable. It is worth paying attention to the team and the attitude of the authorities towards their subordinates.

If the company has all the listed requirements, then the place is suitable for employment and long-term service. Even if a new company has already been found, you should not cut in the heat of the moment and spoil relations with former employees. In any field, it is important to have connections and contacts. The more useful acquaintances there are in the piggy bank, the easier it will be to look for new places of work in the future.

There were cases when former employers independently helped their employees find a new job: they wrote positive recommendations or verbally told friends and colleagues. Such situations make life easier, do not miss this opportunity.

How seasons affect job search

Oddly enough, the question: " What time of the year to look for work ?" Internet users drive in search engines most often. This criterion directly affects the number of jobs and open vacancies. Each season should be considered separately, because there is no universal answer to this question. Much depends on the field of activity in which the search will take place: seasonal types of work begin an active recruitment of employees at certain periods.

Beginning of the year, January

Not a good time to look for a new job. This month is the New Year holidays, and before January there is a pre-holiday rush. These two factors create a difficult situation. While some companies are slowly preparing for the end of the year and the beginning of a new one, others are rapidly completing reports and submitting plans. At this time, enterprises rarely change personnel and search for new employees.

Financial uncertainty also affects: in the first months, annual budgets are approved, funds are redistributed, and reports are generated. At such times, it is not known whether the company needs new employees, or whether this will be an unnecessary additional expense item. It is rare that someone quits their job in the dead of winter, so there is no need to talk about urgent replacements of former employees either. Do not hope for such force majeure situations.

It is believed that the real beginning of the working year is February, this month the entire team is already fully immersed in a stable work schedule, and new vacancies may well appear. The work of the personnel department is getting off to a great start for the coming year.

Beginning of February-end of May

The last month of winter and the spring period, this is the time when you should look for work. Enterprises are coming out of hibernation, the interest of employers in new personnel in the team is increasing. There are two factors why this happens:

1. An active search for new employees in seasonal companies begins: tourism, entertainment, construction. Preparations for the summer peak always begin in advance, so if you have a desire to change your workplace, the best time to look is spring.
2. By this time, companies have already approved the budget, plans and tasks for the year appear, so the search for new faces begins to implement them. In addition, old workers who were thinking about leaving are freeing up their jobs for others.

It is also important to remember that competition for vacant seats is high during this period. Employers have a large selection of applicants, so it’s not a fact that you can immediately get the desired vacancy. It is important to regularly review the lists of new vacancies, the best of them are rarely stale in the bowels of sites. Such "hanging" usually become vacancies with incomprehensible or inflated requirements, difficult bosses and low wages.

End of May-end of August

This period is considered unstable when it comes to changing jobs. Many companies and enterprises are starting to work in a more relaxed mode, some of the employees go on vacation. If they are looking for a replacement, then on a temporary basis. There is no question of permanent employment in such a situation.

However, this does not mean that it is impossible to find a new niche in the summer. Low supply creates low demand. The competition is low, so for each open vacancy there is no queue of a dozen candidates.

A distinctive feature of a job search in the summer is possible delays in interviews. The management, like employees, goes on vacation or is absent for other reasons. Therefore, before you get a positive or negative answer, you have to wait.
The controversy over the productivity of summer searches will never subside, while some consider the hot season unpromising, others launch their careers. Experts do not recommend leaving their homes during this period, it is highly likely that they will temporarily be left without work if the search for a suitable place is delayed.

Beginning of September – end of November

Autumn is the peak period, this is the most suitable time to change activities. If there have been thoughts in your head about finding a new niche for a long time, then it is at this moment that you can safely quit and look for something new. This is due to several factors:

1. Over the past six months, the companies have already assessed the work capacity of the existing team. Some are laid off, others leave of their own accord. If extended plans have been drawn up, new personnel are required for the successful completion of the year.
2. Many people put off looking for a new job until the fall. This is due to the fact that in the summer I want to spend holidays, to be in a relaxed mode. Therefore, if we are not talking about irreconcilable circumstances, employees usually remain until the end of the summer in their homes.

In autumn, HR departments work most harmoniously, they already have clear goals and know exactly who they need. A large number of vacancies open, so even if there is a lot of competition, you can find a suitable place and get a job. Also, many people know that there will be a protracted lull in winter, so if you start a new life, it is better to do it in the fall, and not wait for January.

December

If towards the end of the year the idea came up to find the best conditions and salary for yourself, then it is recommended to postpone plans until at least February. December plunges most companies into the abyss of preparing for the end of the year and corporate parties. Worthy vacancies appear extremely rarely, for example, in the event of a sudden dismissal of an important employee. But such force majeure occurs infrequently, so you should not count on such luck.

There are situations when an enterprise recruits employees in December, but they can still postpone the final decision on employment to January, you should not be hopeful.

Top tips for seasonal job hunting

There are several factors to keep in mind:

1. Finding a good job in December-January is extremely difficult. Therefore, you should not start digging into yourself and look for flaws if you can’t get a job. Here you need luck and the lion’s share of luck.
2. A planned change of job is best done in the fall or spring. It is important to be prepared for competition. It is easier for line workers, they have a wider choice of vacancies. A narrow-profile specialist will have to prove to the employer and personnel department employees that he is the right person for hiring.
3. Summer is an ideal period for a career breakthrough. This option is suitable for those who are not afraid to take risks and lose stability. Most of the workers relax in the summer, their ability to work decreases. There is a chance to seize the moment, try your luck in a new place and immediately establish yourself there as an extremely promising employee. In the future, such a breakthrough can positively affect career growth.

Separately, it is worth noting the need for a competent resume. Even if there is no specialized knowledge or ten years of experience in the baggage, it still makes sense to convey to the employer information about your achievements, personal qualities and previous jobs. HR departments often prefer promising employees with a lot of ambition over those who have managed to accumulate years of experience and read a hundred books.

Some experts believe that the right time to look for a new job is the summer period. This is explained by the fact that in the summer few people want to look for a new place, everyone is busy with holidays and personal problems. Due to such a shortage of employees, personnel officers offer more favorable conditions in vacancies. Even wages vary by 4000-10000 🪙.

What factors influence the search term for a new job?

This paradox makes even experienced professionals think. Some employees easily manage to find a new place, they change companies and areas almost every six months and easily adapt. Others can send resumes for months and go to interviews with no result.

When looking for a job is hard and things are moving slowly, it’s worth considering what deadlines are considered normal and what influences them.

There is no universal search duration, but some factors do matter:

seasonality

This is the main criterion. If the job search period fell on winter or summer, it is not surprising that the search dragged on. During these periods, there are not many vacancies, and if there are, they may not be suitable for the requirements of working conditions and wages. Here the problem is not in a potential employee, but in an unsuccessful period for the search.

The current situation in the labor market

A vivid example is the emergence of a pandemic and its impact on the labor sphere. A number of areas suspended activities, people lost their jobs. The number of jobs decreased, so it was more difficult to find a job.

Demand for a specific specialty

If you have a specialized education and work experience in a certain field, it makes no sense to settle for less. However, there are situations when there are no open suitable positions in the job market. It is recommended not to rush to dismiss, but simply monitor the lists little by little. This will reduce the risk of being temporarily without income.

Selected search strategy

While some employees are actively sending out resumes, going to interviews and responding to all suitable vacancies, others are sitting and waiting for the employer to write to them and offer them a job. Obviously, the first category of people finds a good permanent job much faster than the second.

The relevance of the specifics of work in a particular city

Such situations often occur in small towns with less than a million people. An employee, at some point, understands that he deserves a promotion and an increase in wages. But there are no companies in the city that are ready to offer the desired working conditions. There are two ways out here – to keep looking, hoping for luck, or try your luck in another city. Then the chances increase significantly.

Sometimes it also affects the fact that bursts of activity among employers and job seekers often differ. It happens that the peak of activity for vacancies occurs in the spring, and a great demand for them appears only by the end of the year. Therefore, it is important not to cut everything in haste, but to gradually monitor vacancies in search of a suitable one. Sometimes a passive search method leads to a better result than regular running through interviews and the desire to grab every slightly suitable vacancy.

These factors affect not only individually, but also in combination. The wider the list of requirements for an employee, the more difficult it will be for him to decide on a suitable place. Such people can search for years for what they want and not find it.

Is it necessary to immediately leave the old place

Wondering when to look for a job, people start standing with one foot on the way out. Most often, the idea of ​​a change appears abruptly when dissatisfaction with the current place, payment, and conditions accumulates. In rare cases, people are slowly looking for a suitable job, without looking up from their usual work activities. Impulsivity is inherent in most of the workers, it is difficult to surprise anyone with such statistics.

Experts consider this tactic to be wrong – the job market is unstable, there are always nuances, concomitant factors and reasons. Either there are few offers, or the competition among applicants is too high. No one predicts with 100% probability that it will be possible to find a job on a suspended basis.

If there is no financial cushion, there is no insurance from someone close to you, then you should not rush to dismissal. It is better to do everything gradually, given a few rules.

Temporarily keep silent

Do not advertise the desire to leave. If there is a “large and friendly team" at the current place of work, gossip will spread with great speed. It is better not to disclose your dissatisfaction with the current conditions in public, especially to the authorities. It is possible that the claims are objective and not without meaning, but it is best to declare them when there is where to go from a familiar point.

If the information does not reach the authorities in time, this is fraught with the following:

• when the employer has integrity, he will find an excuse to make a dismissal earlier than planned by the employee;
• the employer, wanting to protect himself, has a chance to find a replacement before his current employee applies.

Ultimately, there are often situations when an employee changes his mind and is no longer going to leave. What will it be like to stay in one’s familiar place if the whole team, including the boss, is already aware of discontent. Subsequently, a biased attitude towards this employee will appear and he will gradually survive from work.

The search must be accurate

If the main job search site is job sites, then it is worth making adjustments to the privacy settings. HR officers often monitor them, so they can find out that their current employee is actively looking for a new job.

It is better to make sure that the finished resume is visible only to those who were sent a response about the desire to be interviewed. This will help you look for a job slowly, sorting through the most interesting vacancies.

Vigilance is the middle name

Do not waste time looking for a new niche during the working period. There is a high risk that other employees will notice this. Information about searches on a work computer will also lead others into unnecessary doubts. Even if you are watching from your own phone, there is a risk of getting caught red-handed.

It is also not recommended to answer calls from potential employers during business hours. It is best to politely ask to call back at another convenient time for both.

The right time for interviews

It takes time to actively go to interviews. And if it is easy to do this several times, asking for time off from the authorities to see a doctor, then soon such frequent days off will begin to strain the employer. It is best to try to choose neutral periods: before or after the start of working hours, on weekends or holidays. Not the fact that the schedules will match, sometimes you have to make compromises.

It also makes sense to go on vacation at your own expense, then the search for a new job will be active and fruitful. It is unlikely that you will be able to rest, but there will be a long-awaited change of activity.

Leaving without conflict

Even if a new job is already in your pocket, you should not finally slam the door and say bad things about the team, bosses and the place of work itself. A reasonable decision would be to justify the departure, to thank for the experience gained and to help the replacement employee to get in the know. It is not known how things will go in the new place, the preservation of old ties can play into the hands. Competent workers are not afraid to recommend, so do not cut off contacts.

Finding a new job is different for every person. Some have a bunch of conditions and requirements, according to which it is difficult to find an occupation to their liking. Others easily move from place to place, are not afraid to change direction and adapt to everything. There is no universal advice on when it is better to look for a job and how to do it, but if you take into account most of the nuances, then the process will be fruitful.