Why now is the best time to job search

People often assume that January is the best time to start your job search. It's the start of a new year, a new beginning, new goals, a new job. The truth is, the odds of being hired in January are impeded by the fact that many people are job searching around this time. Finding a new job is a very popular goal at the start of the year and this lowers your chances of standing out. Career experts say that there is no wrong or right time to job search but job seekers should always be seeking! We say forget about waiting. Seize the moment and close the deal on your next career opportunity now. Here's why:

Hiring managers may be more pressured to find candidates
Most hiring managers have to hire before January or risk losing allocated funds for new employees. Some want to get recruits in before the holiday season mindset kicks in and planning for the new year and staffing needs are already in place in the last couple of months of the year. Ultimately hiring managers understand that it's vital to secure the best talent in the market before the year ends.

Less competition
More and more people are starting to take a break from job searching, which increases your chances of standing out as there is less competition for open positions. This means a bit more time will be spent looking over your resume, longer interview, and a more responsive hiring process altogether due to the drop-off in the number of job seekers and mindset of hiring managers. January in turn starts slow for most people. Companies have plenty of time and resources to choose the right candidate. Finalizing the interviews and signing the contract may take a lot longer during these months.

It is a great time to be settled
Starting a new job before the end of the year will give you enough time to settle in at a new company. There will be lots of festive cheers and social occasions happening and your integration into the company will be much quicker. The other benefit is that more often than not people will have more time to allocate to training so when January comes you will be fully prepared, which means less stress for you. 

Budget
It's easy to assume that most companies slow down from October to December as projects wrap up and planning starts for the new year. For companies on a calendar year financial schedule, new budgets start in January, which can mean funding for new positions so they already start looking at the end of the year. Companies often want to make hiring decisions before the holidays and the year-end lull.

Research suggests that some of the best months to job search are September and October. Acquaint yourself with peak hiring seasons and always be in contact with your recruiter to ensure you are in touch with current jobs on offer.

Communicate Recruitment is a specialist recruitment company with over 3 decades of experience. We connect great people in the IT, Finance, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Freight industries throughout Africa and South Africa on a permanent or part-time basis. Don't wait for the new year, start your job search with us today.