Ever wondered how to get the edge over competition when job hunting? According to eFinancialCareers, two thirds (67%) of finance professionals registered on the UK site take their main holiday between the months of June and September*. Summer also coincides with a decrease in the number of applications to job postings on eFinancialCareers.co.uk. So the simple answer is: don’t take your foot off the gas simply because the summer’s here. In fact, summer months can be one of the best times to get ahead of the game while colleagues are exploring Il Salviatino, Italy or diving off Song Saa Island, Cambodia**.
Turning-off or tuning-in in August
Summertime stays the most popular holiday period, and August is the prime month - almost a third (31%) of registered users on eFinancialCareers.co.uk take their holidays then, and over four in ten (44%) opt for a sun & beach break. Last year, local applications to local job postings** were down 12% between July and August, and with the the nation basking in sunshine, this trend is likely to continue this year. Clearly a link stands here: whether it be job seekers dialing out to enjoy the sunshine or temporarily holding back as they think companies aren’t hiring due to being out of the office on vacation. Yet job seekers shouldn’t dread the “summer slowdown”. On the contrary, finance professionals who keep at their search throughout the summer give themselves a competitive advantage because:
- competition drops significantly since other job seekers think the market is slow, and take a break from career planning and job searches;
- recruiters and HR professionals, who are working through the summer, have more time, and therefore are more available. During the busier months, recruiters are usually consumed with high numbers of job applications and as a result, they can’t allocate a lot of time in the reviewing process which makes it a bigger challenge for job seekers to stand-out and get noticed.
Socialize with an Intention
Remember it is not just what you know but who you know. And what better way to do it than the summertime, and yes that even includes whilst being abroad on holiday. Summer is the right time to go the extra mile, meet new people and connect with them. People are usually happier and more relaxed, and it is therefore easier to make a positive first impression of them and bond in a more natural way.
“While job hunting during the summer may not sound enticing, it can pay off big in the long run. Not only does it put candidates ahead of the game while everybody else is waiting until the autumn to resume their search, but by making their presence known, candidates are more likely to find themselves in line to be called in for an interview in early September,” comments James Bennett, Global Managing Director of eFinancialCareers. www.eFinancialCareers.co.uk
*The eFinancialCareers Holiday Survey was carried out in May 2013, with a total of 155 finance professionals registered on the eFinancialCareers site responding.
** For a full list of destinations for discerning bankers this year, please visit http://news.efinancialcareers.com/uk-en/141949/holidays-launch-page/
***Number of job applications from candidates registered on the efinancialcareers.co.uk site and applying to job postings on efinancialcareers.co.uk.
