For job hunters, the summer isn’t the most opportune time to seek new employment, as it becomes ... [+]
It is the tail end of spring, and for most people, summer is one of the best times of the year. Families go on vacation, taking a three-day weekend becomes commonplace and the work hustle slows down. There is an unspoken collective agreement that from June to the first couple of weeks in September, it's socially acceptable to downshift and take it easy.
For job hunters, the summer isn’t the most opportune time to seek new employment, as it becomes challenging to interview. White-collar office workers are asked to meet with three to six-plus people. However, scheduled vacations and paid time off stall the interview process. After a while, there is a consensus to slow-walk hiring and focus only on high-priority recruitment. Things are put aside until September, which is equivalent to the adult version of “back to school.”
If you haven’t initiated your job search yet, you should do so right now, as there isn’t much time until the summer doldrums. You want to get your foot in the door before it closes. Start by hunkering down, updating your résumé and LinkedIn profile, contacting recruiters and letting your network know you're looking.
There May Be Some Turbulence
The United States weekly jobless claims reported by the Department of Labor on Thursday reflect a noticeable uptick in unemployment benefits.
Last week, the number of Americans filing initial unemployment claims jumped to a 1 1/2-year high, signifying a cooling job market. New claims for state unemployment benefits surged 22,000 to 264,000 for the week ended May 6, the highest reported since October 2021.
ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak said about the rise in claims, “The increase is consistent with an uptick in layoffs and decline in job openings and hiring.”
Guy Berger, the principal economist at LinkedIn, tweeted, “Not sure if this week's initial claims data involved some sort of fluke or not, but I think they're the highest since October 2021 and quite a bit above the recent breakeven (~240K). If they stay here, continuing claims will go up further.”
The trend in jobless claims has been rising since the end of January. This is what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell wanted to achieve—causing job losses to bring down record-high inflation. While it's good news for Powell, it's not so great for job seekers.
Take Action Now
Since time is of the essence, put aside any distractions. You can make up for the missed engagements in August when hiring slows to a crawl. There is a short window of opportunity to get noticed by employers now. Those only passively searching or considering a job search will likely put the pursuit on hold as “spring fever” kicks in. This is good news, as the competition will dwindle as time progresses.
Start by listing the companies you’d like to work for. Ask around if anyone knows someone who works at the company and can give you a robust recommendation. Update your résumé, tighten your LinkedIn profile and clean up your social media footprint. Find a few recruiters who specialize in your space.
Put together an elevator pitch, practice role-playing interview questions and purchase new clothes for in-person and video interviews. For video calls, check beforehand to ensure the lighting, sound quality and background work well.
Go to job boards that cater to your field, online career sites of companies you want to apply to and make yourself seen on LinkedIn. Attend industry-specific meetups, conferences and events. Now is not the time to be shy. Reach out and introduce yourself to people in the hopes that they can turn you on to a job lead.
