When is the best time to begin my search?

posted by Waffles

Your active job search should begin soon after you have selected your major field of study in college. It extends up to the day you retire then winds down after that as you transition your network into your new situation.

If you’re not on this timetable, you need to do some catching up. Your job search should continue every day you are in the job market, that is, your entire career.
That said, is there a “Hiring Season?” Yes, there are two clearly discernible ones you should keep in mind. At least in corporate America, they are driven by four holidays. The reason for this is totally unknown, although there is some conjecture on this matter worth noting:

Groundhog Day, February 2nd, launches the first of the two major annual hiring cycles. Despite the famed fear of shadow held by Punxsutawney Phil, corporate America/Canada tends to hit the ground running after sleeping through January. The smart money is in scheduling mass networking and informational meeting during the January doldrums so you’re on the top of a short list when they realize they needed to hire someone back in December but they didn’t because, you know, nobody hires in December (except the ones who do).

Easter, always landing exactly on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, heralds, among other things, the waning of the hiring season. Speculation as to why this may happen ranges from the sublime (hiring budgets are slashed now that first quarter results suggest that sales are too low, costs are too high or profits are not high enough), to the ridiculous (colleges are getting out soon, we can get a kid for cheaper).

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, signifies the end of the summer doldrums and back-to-back vacations in the HR Departments across the land. As is ironically implied by the name, it’s time to get back to work, so hiring accelerates rapidly.

Thanksgiving is celebrated across the US on the fourth Thursday in November but in neighboring Canada much earlier. The job market tends to follow the longer US growing season is one leading conjecture. In any case, the recruiters start to pack their bags and calls go unanswered as this festive holiday gives way to the frost. However, here at The Barrett Group we have been amazed, especially the last two years, with the clients who have bucked the rules and beaten the odds and have had interviews on Christmas Eve and have been hired while singing Auld Lang Syne.

So here’s the upshot: now is the best time to position yourself for the next hiring wave, whenever that might be. It’s like surfing: if you wait to see the perfect wave before you get in the water, you’ll be waiting for the next wave.
Come on in, the water’s fine!