5 Reasons Why Autumn Is The Perfect Time To Start A Job Search
Autumn is officially here. The leaves have started to turn, our hanging baskets are looking a little worse for wear, and we’ve started grabbing for our boots rather than the sandals we’ve become accustomed to. Summer is over.
For some, Autumn is a time to get comfy on the sofa, enjoy a few cheap frights thanks to Halloween, and warm our hands on a bonfire or two! For others, the realisation that we’ll soon be scraping our window screens sets in, almost as quickly as the dark nights. However you feel about the new season, one thing is for certain, it’s the season of change and is considered to be the second-best time of year to kick-start a job search and pursue a new opportunity. And we can vouch for that! Year in, year out, we see an increase in jobs registered and candidate applications at this time of year. It’s a busy ol’ period for us recruiters, so if you’re thinking about a job move, take advantage – it’s the perfect opportunity and one that shouldn’t be missed!
Below we’ve listed 5 reasons why we think it’s a great time to start seeking out your next move.
- Holidays are over: During the 6 weeks, it’s likely that most people have been in and out of the office, hopefully getting some much-needed respite, soaking up the sunshine with sand beneath their toes. When the first day of Autumn rolls around it’s usually the first time after summer that everyone is back in the office and raring to go. With decision-makers back in the swing of things we usually see the speed of recruitment pick up and see people make hiring decisions much faster than in the summer months, meaning the whole recruitment process is less of a waiting game, a stack simpler, and overall we hear that it’s generally a much nicer experience.
- Jobs are up: As everyone is back in the office with a renewed sense of focus, minds turn to recruitment. It’s often the last push before the end of the year, and sometimes businesses need a fresh mind to help them achieve the goals they set at the start of the year. The Autumn always sees an increase in jobs available, open vacancies raise, on average, by 12,000 compared to the summer months. It’s simple maths, the more jobs there are being advertised, the more chance you have of snagging one.
- Darkness creeps in: It’s the time of year that the dark mornings and nights creep in, which means only one thing, we all want to spend more time at home! Firstly, let’s talk about the commute. Commuting for an hour and a half each morning and night might seem okay when the birds are chirping, the sun is poking out of the clouds, and the beer garden calls, but it becomes a lot hassle when you’re rising in the dark and leaving work when it’s already pitch black. It’s proven that sunlight positively affects our mood, so why wouldn’t you want to find a job closer to home when it can boost your mental health? Secondly, if you spend more time at home which, we tend to do at this time of year, then why not turn on the laptop and have a little peek at what’s on offer?
- Settled just in time: If you’re looking to the future and are already thinking of a move in the New Year, then you shouldn’t wait. Of course it depends on your notice period, but with the average notice period being four weeks if you make a move in the Autumn then you should have your feet under your new desk, start to feel settled in a new job just in time for the Christmas break, and all set to get going in January. We can’t believe we’ve just mentioned the C-word – sorry!
- Right frame of mind: We find that this time of year job seekers are more committed and more focused on what they want from their next step. It’s not only employers that go on holiday during the summer, employees do too, and we find that you return reinvigorated, refreshed, and with a renewed sense of focus. Is there ever a better time to make a career move when you’re in a positive frame of mind and had time to think about what you want?
