Are you ready for the January hiring surge?

As a job seeker, it is important to know the ebb and flow of the hiring cycles. As we look forward to 2023, be ready for that intense hiring period throughout Q1.

Here’s a breakdown of the next couple of months – and how to use this to your advantage:

December:

You may be tempted to take it easy during the holidays, but now is the perfect time to get your tools ready to hit the ground running in the New Year.

• Perfect your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, and other supporting documentation or samples.
• Don’t forget to create an “application resume,” which includes any additional information for online applications, such as past employer addresses, detailed skill sets, and references contact information.
• Start activating your network by rekindling your professional relationships.

First week of January:

Not many jobs will be posted this week. Everybody just got back after all, and they need to get through their built-up voicemails and emails this week. 

• Play around with your saved search terms on the employment sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter to ensure you receive relevant job postings.
• Look for niche or specialty employment sites for your niche industry, such as Dice.com for IT or ihirehr.com for HR positions.

Second week of January:

You will see more activity on the employment sites by Tuesday or Wednesday. HR is finally getting some feedback from the hiring managers, which allows them to get those jobs posted. Unfortunately, many of these jobs are “rush” postings: rush to get up but slow to respond.

• Consider this your “target company” week. Select your top 10-25 desired companies and start researching them – even if they don’t have any job openings yet.
• Find out about their business, the size, where they post jobs, and key managers and employees.
• Perfect your online profiles to streamline your application process.

Third week of January:

NOW is the hot time for jobs online. The majority of January jobs will be posted this week and the next. Don’t expect HR to respond to you this week – they are too busy screening all those job applicants.

• Hit those applications, baby! However, take your time – even one simple mistake can cost you the opportunity.
• Continue your company research, especially for employers with desirable job postings.
• Track down the hiring managers to rise above the flood of candidates.

Fourth week of January:

HR is finally ready to start calling people for interviews and continuing to post jobs. In the meantime, the hiring managers are getting antsy, hoping to fill their positions sooner rather than later.

• Start following up on your earlier applications.
• Perfect your applications – while these are definitely important, you want to streamline this aspect of your job search.
• Continue to research your target companies.
• Don’t forget to contact your network and search for those hiring managers.

First week of February:

While jobs are still being posted, HR is really concerned with in-person interviews at this point.

• Be prepared to ANSWER YOUR PHONE – Yes, you might have to hear about your car’s extended warranty a few times, but that is better than sending an interview invitation to your voicemail.

Want to make sure you get an interview?

Schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our career coaches to see how your resume and job-searching strategies stack up:

https://www.personaltouchcareerservices.com/contact