Fall Job Search: Fresh Start or Frantic Fail?

With the turning of the leaves many organizations lumber out of a summer lull to kick off a peak recruiting period, surprisingly still unknown to many job seekers.

According to Lisa Switzer, a Recruitment and Careers Consultant, there are indeed: “cyclical times where recruiting hits a peak across many industries”, including the fall.Lisa explains that: “the majority of organizations run their business on yearly bases that are then divided into quarterly chapters“. This impacts recruiting because “budgets are reviewed and money is either allocated, increased, decreased, or erased completely, and many of these budgets include an analysis of projects, where current attrition rates sit, what new positions are required, and how quickly they need to be filled“.

Lisa further stresses that the start of this season means the “3rd quarter is wrapping up and what was left “on hold” over the summer is kicking back into high gear – including recruitment.”Yet many job seekers are slow out the starting gates and are drastically unprepared for the sudden peak in activity, feeling more than the crunch of fall leaves.

Does this include you? Here are some tips that will get you in top job searching mode so you don’t miss the perfect opportunity:

• Get ready, well in advance of peak recruiting periods. Don’t wait for the right opportunity to pop up before taking action. Application times may be short and rushing to get materials together runs the risk of sloppy presentation. September is aptly “International Update Your Resume Month“, which nicely coincides with the upcoming recruitment surge.  Yet waiting until September to get started might be too late!

• Update *all* career documents. Not just your resume. You must have a complete application package which includes: a comprehensive cover letter, a tailored resume, a references list, an active and complete LinkedIn profile, a thank you letter, and possibly even an executive biography.

• Hire professional assistance if you are struggling to update or compile your career material on your own, but remember that qualified professional resume writers can take a lot of time to create custom materials.  During peak periods demand goes up, so you may have to wait….causing you to miss out!

• Brush up on your interview skills. Again, do this before the dream job calls you in! If you haven’t interviewed for some time you need to prepare with current interview trends and value stories.  An interview coach can give you the most up-to-date tips and help guide you through some tough questions to get your communication skills polished up.

• Know who your references are going to be. Speak with these people in advance and find out what they are going to say about you. If the person seems nervous or not forthcoming on their opinions of your work, ask someone else. Learn more in my article “Keep Your Employment References Up to Date”.

• Get your messages in sync across all medians. This includes social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook), your career documents (cover letter, resume, biography), your personal business card, your personal website, and/or your blog. If an employer does a sudden search for you online, what will they find? Hopefully not a jumbled mess of mismatched thoughts and details that are long neglected. Instead, ensure that your unique value proposition is highlighted and strategically aligned throughout all supporting materials.

The message is clear; prepare in advance! Now that you know more about peak recruiting cycles don’t fall victim to the frenzy. Instead, go nail your fresh start with confidence this season!