jsync | Java Staffing Specialist

Seasonal Job Searches - Why is NOW a Great Time to Look for a Job?

09/06/2007

by Dave Fecak

Most professionals, regardless of industry, start a job search in a reaction to a negative event. Something as simple as a change in company policy or management, or perhaps as drastic as a termination or corporate bankruptcy, are often the catalysts for initiating job search activities. Very rarely do we see professionals who start seeking greener pastures proactively, or looking for work ‘seasonally’ in order to take advantage of characteristics of the corporate fiscal year, and I want to expose an alternative approach to effective job seeking from this angle.

It is common in industries such as farming, teaching, or tourism to have peak times for job seeking, based on obvious reasons surrounding their annual cycle. People seeking work in these verticals know exactly when their skills are in highest demand, and then use those times to start new employment searches to maximize their chances of finding work and receiving a competitive wage. Why shouldn’t we apply this model to the technology industry as well?

The period of time from Labor Day through the end of the year could arguably be the best time to look for new jobs in the technology world, although based on vastly different circumstances than seasonal employment in other industries. The following factors play a major role in why this period is so advantageous to the job seeker.

1. Budgets – Some may believe that budgets would prevent job seekers from finding work or getting a good wage as the new year approaches. This may be true in some cases, but it also can often work the opposite way, and that fact is clear when you analyze how budgets are set and how managers strategize budgets. Most managers would like to increase their spending budget each year, and the most effective way for a manager to ensure a higher budget for next year is for them to use their entire budget for this year. As the end of the year approaches, it becomes clear to managers whether or not they will have funds left from their budget, and if they see a potential surplus they are certainly going to spend it by any means necessary. This amounts to new positions being created and often higher salaries or rates for those positions. A definite positive for job seekers!
2. Quotas and Headcounts – A very similar argument to budgets. Many managers are given bonuses or rewards for meeting a previously established quota for team members in a department or on a project. If a manager has experienced any turnover or simply has not been able to hire fast enough, there will be pressure to bring on new talent.
3. End of Year Bonuses?? – By leaving a company now, you could be sacrificing your year end bonus that is typically paid between December and March. How is it advantageous to leave money on the table and abandon ship before your bonus is paid?? The short answer is that it isn’t always in your best interest, but in some situations it is. For one, the unpaid bonus can often be used as a bargaining chip with a prospective new employer as long as it is clear up front what you may be forgoing. For companies that may be unwilling to give a signing bonus to a new employee, the bargaining chip usually translates to a slightly higher salary – which amounts to the difference between a one time payout versus an annuity. Would you rather have that 5K bonus now or a 3K higher annual salary for years to come? This is one of the most common mistakes we see from candidates who remain at an intolerable job, sometimes to their own detriment, in order to receive a bonus which often does not live up to the expectation anyway. In addition to the possible monetary advantages a job seeker could see by leaving before bonuses are paid, often the seeker will have reduced competition for those jobs due to others staying to receive their bonuses. Think about it!
4. Annual Goals – Many corporate goals are based annually, and as the year ends many companies may not have reached their goals. Whether it is a revenue goal that a company can use for PR the following year or the delivery of a new product, the accomplishments and milestones of this year are often the bragging material for next. Be sure that a company with 999 employees on New Year’s Eve will find a way to have 1,000 by the time Dick Clark hits the airwaves!
5. Holiday Spirit – Don’t underestimate this truly significant factor in business. Regardless of how many times your prospective employer has seen “It’s A Wonderful Life”, there is certainly a spirit of the holiday season that causes both companies and the general public to open their wallets a little more often than usual.

There is no reason to think that our industry is any different than others regarding tangible seasonal advantages to job seekers during certain times of the year. Q4 is probably the most obvious of times to perhaps consider new opportunities.

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