When it comes to connecting with the best job opportunities, timing is everything. Tuning into industry and employers’ annual recruitment cycles can give you a key edge over the competition. There may be no better time than right now.

Fourth Quarter Dynamics

The fourth quarter often presents the most complex hiring dynamics of the year, depending on your preferred industries. For many, it’s a time of budget maneuvering and efforts to fill positions and meet surpluses, so as not to lose this allotment for the coming year. For anything even remotely related to retail, there will be a hiring boom for the holiday season. And many employers will slow hiring to a virtual halt come December. This last pattern is typically seen in financial, professional and business services, among others.

Do Your Homework

Carefully study your industry or the one you’re considering joining, as well as companies you’re viewing as prospective employers.

• Research performance. Gauge the probability that they’ll be hiring this month. It may be the optimal time to throw your hat in the ring – or you may be better off waiting till January. Knowing this up front will help you determine your next action and the timing of your application.
• Get ahead of the competition. Give yourself a head start over candidates who postpone launching their job search till after the New Year. There could be less competition for current openings and a better chance of a hiring manager seeing your resume and contacting you for an interview. Also keep in mind that even if an employer isn’t hiring right now, they may be keeping an eye out for the right candidates to bring on board at the beginning of 2015.

Consider Temp-to-Hire

Often, businesses who lack the budget to hire permanent staff during the fourth quarter utilize temporary employees to fill the gaps. These jobs offer excellent opportunities to gain valuable experience and make new contacts, often with the potential to turn into full-time positions. At the very least, they offer great opportunities to build your resume.

Are you interested in more tips to succeed in your job search? Contemporary Personnel Staffing and Professionals Incorporated specializes in temporary and temp-to-hire placements in industries including accounting, administrative and clerical, healthcare, legal, IT, manufacturing and engineering, sales and marketing, and HR. Contact us today to learn more.