If your New Year’s resolution to find a new job has stalled, you’re not alone. Tons of your peers are watching LinkedIn and pinging their networks, impatiently waiting for the jobs to appear. Don’t get discouraged — get ready. The job market will look a lot like the Wild West, and February is when it all gets started.
Yes, friends — February. The coldest, most miserable month of the year is also the best time to put your job search into overdrive. Here’s why February is the best time to start your job search.
Companies Finally Have Their Acts Together
Sure, a lot of companies plan to kick off their hiring push in January, but few actually do. The first week was a wash; your future boss was still shaking off the holi-daze, and getting themselves organized to tackle the new year. The rest of January was generally devoted to getting approval for business strategies and budgets, finishing off performance reviews, doling out raises and bonuses, and sometimes — sadly — even letting people go to clear the way for new talent. If you haven’t gotten the traction you’re looking for, don’t worry. It’s not you — it ‘s them.
Top Talent is Just Waiting for the Check To Clear
Job satisfaction rates are in the gutter. According to a recent study, only 30% of employees actually like their jobs. That’s nothing compared to the 83% who are planning to straight-up quit as soon as the time is right. And now that profitability is rebounding and bonuses are coming back, a whole lot of those folks are going to be diving overboard. February marks the start of bonus season, and as soon as those checks clear, a ton of resignations will follow, opening up a lot of new doors for savvy job-seekers.
Job Postings Are Starting to Pour In
Now that budgets are approved, the corporate housekeeping is complete, and hiring managers have finally gotten their heads around the new year, the jobs will start to appear by the score. Of course, job boards shouldn’t be the centerpiece of your job search strategy (nothing beats good old fashioned networking), but they’re a great indicator of hiring activity across the board.
So here we are — org charts are set, budgets are approved, and the real race for talent is about to begin. If there was a time to have your resume and LinkedIn Profile ready to go, it would be now. You’re probably already noticing that your connections are landing new jobs. Hopefully, you’ll be next.
