Summer is a great time for hiring – and not just for lifeguards or summer interns! It is a myth that companies do not hire as much during the summer and therefore it doesn’t matter if you slow down your search. Keep pressing on with your job search efforts during the summer.
That said, there are unique challenges to getting hired during the summer, and if you ignore these, you may get frustrated and sabotage your job search. Here are seven reasons why summer can be both good and bad for your job search:
Good for you: There is less competition
I’m recruiting for several openings right now, and resume submissions were very light for the week with the July 4th holiday. The few candidates that did submit applications during this slow time got a jump on some great roles. Let other job seekers buy into the myth that hiring stops during the summer. This leaves you with less competition. While other job seekers stop networking because they assume that people are on vacation, you keep following up, thereby differentiating yourself with your persistence and consistency.
Bad for you: The process slows down
Hiring doesn’t stop, but it certainly slows down. People go on vacation which means interviews are harder to schedule. The gap in-between interviews can easily last over a week during the summer months. Keep your job search moving during these gaps between interviews!
Good for you: People are in a good mood
At least summer makes it easier to keep in touch between interviews or follow up on networking, as people tend to be in a good mood during the summer months. Work is generally slower. People have upcoming vacations to look forward to or recent vacations to remember fondly. Working parents don’t have the crush of school activities to juggle, and the kids might even be away for camp. Take advantage of these long, slow summer days by stepping up your networking . Ask about vacation plans, and prime your prospects to be in a good mood.
Bad for you: People are not in a rush
The slower pace of work during the summer cuts both ways, and you may find a lack of urgency to schedule networking meetings or even make hiring decisions. I have recruited for roles where the hiring manager goes on vacation before making a final decision on candidates already done with final rounds, thereby delaying the decision right when candidates are most anxious. It is up to you to maintain a sense of urgency when you plan networking meetings and drive prospective employers to a decision. Give people deadlines to encourage swift action. Let prospective employers know when you are in final rounds elsewhere and especially when you have other offers. If you do not proactively speed up your job search, people will move at a slower summer tempo.
Good for you: You have more networking possibilities
Unlike winter, where options are limited to the indoors, summer gives you a wider range of possibilities. Encourage that hard-to-get networking meeting by proposing an outdoor café or activity. Use the longer days to propose meeting after work (it’s still light out!). If your contacts have summer Fridays, you can linger for a longer lunch or meet in the early afternoon.
Bad for you: Business dress gets more challenging
One of the biggest minefields with summer and those networking meetings (and especially job interviews) is dressing appropriately. You face wider extremes in temperature during the summer workday as your commute is outside in the heat but you arrive in an air-conditioned office building. Make sure you don’t wear anything too short or revealing. Executive presence matters, and dress contributes to executive presence.
Good for you: Summer “internships” are not just for students
One of my earliest recruiting roles included overseeing hundreds of summer internship hires. These were organized programs targeted at college and/ or graduate students, and sometimes led to full-time positions upon completion of the internship. However, good temp job opportunities are not just limited to students. With companies being short-staffed due to vacations, summer is the ideal time to pick up temp work, and the right temp opportunity can lead to a full-time job. Summer is a great time for a consultant to expand your business.
While summer brings its challenges to the job seeker, summer also increases job search possibilities and opportunities . Don’t take too much of a vacation from your job search this summer.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecenizalevine/2018/07/15/seven-reasons-why-summer-is-good-and-bad-for-your-job-search/#57961a446fba
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career change expert and co-founder of career coaching firm SixFigureStart. Her latest career change is running CostaRicaFIRE.com.
