If there was ever a time when people actually worked one job their whole lives and retired with a gold watch and a pension, it’s certainly long gone. Most people will have between 12 and 13 jobs in their lifetime, and almost everyone—95% of workers—is planning to look for a new job in 2024. There are a lot of great reasons to launch a job search: Folks who switch jobs tend to earn more, sometimes you just need a change in career, and sometimes you’re just not in the right place.
If you have the luxury of choosing your moment and changing jobs strategically (as opposed to being laid off or getting ahead of a looming termination), you have an advantage that’s often overlooked: You can choose exactly when you look for that next chapter. If that describes you, there are two times of the year that have clear advantages in terms of finding a new job. Here’s how to time your job search for maximum advantage.
Look for a job at the beginning of the year
It’s a nifty coincidence that the same time you’re making your hungover New Year’s Resolution to change jobs also happens to be one of the best times of the year to launch that job search. January and February are two of the best months to look for a new job for a variety of reasons:
- Psychological. The sense of a clean slate and a fresh start, plus the enthusiasm of a resolution and having a plan can’t be underestimated. For most people, the beginning of the year is the moment when they’re in the best frame of mind to make a big life change.
- Economic. Companies usually sign off on hiring budgets in the fall, and they go into effect in January. Additionally, performance reviews and bonuses have been dealt with by the close of the previous year, so current employees are making their own career moves, leaving positions vacant and further driving hiring.
There are a lot of open positions and unused budget at the beginning of the year, making those first two or three months an ideal time to look for a new job if you can wait.
Check job listings again after the summer
The other time of year that is best for the job hunt is after summer—September and October. Summer can be a brutal time to look for a job because so many hiring managers are on vacation, and the wave of new hires from the beginning of the year is still settling into their roles. Once summer ends, things pick up again—a phenomenon known as the “September Surge.”
Again, both economics and psychology make September and October ideal months to launch a job search:
- Psychological. The end of summer tends to inspire a renewed focus on business and getting work done before the holidays. Projects that languished while everyone was planning their beach vacations suddenly lurch into overdrive—and that often means extra heads are needed.
- Economic. At this point in the year, departments and managers have a good idea where their budgets stand, which can mean extra hiring capacity.
The result is more jobs are posted after summer vacations end—according to classified ad site Gumtree, there’s a 16% increase in job listings between July and October. More jobs mean a better chance that you’ll find the role you’re looking for.
Jobs are posted and people are hired all year long, of course, and there are a lot of variables that go into whether a company is hiring for a specific role. But if you’re planning a career change or a search for a new role and you have the ability to pick your timing (and you can stand staying where you are for a while), the beginning of the year and the months right after summer are your best bet. Like everything else in this life, job hunting is all about the timing.