It's almost December, should I apply?
Only 5 (or less) working weeks left in 2021, you should know that this is the last stretch of this year's recruiting activities. What does that mean for jobseekers?
Hiring is one of the most time-sensitive jobs in a company. The processes themselves are already time-consuming, and there are so many variables that could affect the timeline. If the hiring manager is a few hours late to submit their interview feedback, and that day happens to be Friday, it means we can’t take any next steps until next week. Conversely, if the candidate is only able to interview on Tuesdays 12:00-13:00, they are going to be at a disadvantage compared to others.
Scheduling interviews all day long, I always memorized the days of the week in each month, my interviewers’ upcoming holiday schedules. Looking at the calendar this year, we only have 5 working weeks left (in the best case scenario — many will go on holiday mid or early December, so don’t count on it).
This is your last chance to apply
If you are contemplating on applying to some jobs, this is your last chance this year to go through a full recruitment process. As mentioned in Start with a plan, not LinkedIn — Approach, the average recruitment process takes about 3-4 weeks. Counting an extra 5 working days in case of unexpected delays, this gives us 5 working weeks. Get your application in now!
“What if the company is still super slow to get back to me? Companies always take their time.” You might ask. If they are responsible hiring teams that know what they’re doing, they’ll always want to rush and make offers by the end of the month. Many notice periods in Europe only start counting at the beginning of the following month, which means signing a new employee at the end of a month will allow them to start the fastest.
Example: Zoe has a 2-month notice period that starts counting the next month after resignation. If she signs a new job and quits her current job on Sept 30, she can start her new job on Dec 1. If she signs a new job and quits her current job on Oct 2nd, she can only start her new job on Jan 1 next year, because the notice period doesn’t start counting until Nov 1. Companies don’t want to have to wait for a whole extra month for the person to start just for a few days of delay.
Or network, and get ready for 2022
Networking is the one thing you can do that gives you the highest return on investment (ROI). If you’re not very confident about getting that job if you apply now, then optimize the rest of your time and energy this year on networking. Don’t think of networking as this complicated, calculated and scary thing, networking can be:
Asking someone for a referral
Asking someone for career advice
Meeting someone new for a (virtual) coffee
Joining a new professional community
Collaborating with someone on a project
Attending a professional event and speaking to someone
Posting and commenting in your professional community
Having a conversation on Twitter
Sending a nice message about someone’s content
Finding a mentor
The list goes on. If you are not sure how to write networking messages, these 4 examples could give you some inspiration. Check out the list of professional communities you can join here, and if you don’t find the ones you want to join, Google’s your best friend (a simple“job function” + “community/Slack/MeetUp” will do).
January will be a very crucial time for your job search. The market will be hit with a huge batch of new openings, so set up your search alert/notifications for those job boards and your dream companies. On the other hand, many more people will realize they’ve just spent another year with their tired jobs and will start applying. More opportunities, but also more competition.
If networking makes you uncomfortable, do it again and again and again until you’re used to it and no longer uncomfortable. The discomfort is almost nothing for a price to pay for your ideal career. Also, know that people want to be needed, they love giving advice, and you only need that one job offer to start your new career.
What are the biggest challenge in your job search? What about startups are you curious or confused about? Let me know in the comments or reply to this email, I’ll read every single one of them and write about it!