3 Reasons Why Fall is One of the Best Times of the Year for a Job Search

Second only to January and February, the Fall is the best time to catch a business in hiring mode.

Why? Companies tend to increase hiring during the month of  October for a multitude of reasons:

1. Less Interview Downtime

As hiring managers return from vacation – in part because once everyone is back from taking summer vacations.This means that interviews don’t have to be scheduled between days off, which contributes to a smoother hiring process.

2. End of Year Holidays Loom Around the Corner

Many companies want to extend job offers before the Thanksgiving-then-Christmas-then-New-Years blur–otherwise known as the year-end lull.

3. Sound Financial Sense

From a financial perspective, Fall is a great time for companies to take advantage of funds not spent in their yearly budgets. Operating with a “use it or lose it” frame of mind, many realize they must hire before January or risk losing funds earmarked for new hires.

Additionally, many want to evaluate financial reports from the first six months of the year – which are usually available by August.

Upon review, it is not uncommon for hiring to trend upwards again as employers strive to meet year-end goals and targets. They also want to get new recruits in before the holiday season mindset takes hold in November.

Also read: 5 Questions Hiring Managers Ask About Career Changers

Ready, Set, Go!

Take advantage of this fantastic time to be on the job market and earn top-dollar by ensuring that your resume and LinkedIn profile are current not only in term of content but also with regards to format and style. Points to consider:

• Write for Online Readers

People rarely print resumes until the third or fourth rounds of interviews. Resumes designed for print simply don’t do as well. Fortunately, resumes written for screen reading (from big PCs to mobile devices) translate well on paper. Your resume and LinkedIn must be easy read on a screen of any size.

Here’s how:

◊ Keep paragraphs or bullets to approximately two lines on a standard laptop screen.
◊ Select a sans-serif font (one without little “tails” on the ends of the letters) like  Arial, Tahoma or Calibri.
◊ Add white space by making sure to include at least ½ inch or.5 pts between each paragraph and/or bullet.

• Quantify, Quantify, Quantify

Numbers speak louder than words. Wherever possible, try and boil down your success by including figures to explain it. Ask yourself:

◊ Did I save time or money?
◊ Did my efforts play a part in helping the bottom line?
◊ Have I impacted morale and can it be measured in terms of people staying, getting promoted, etc.?

Also read: Tips for Quantifying Achievements on Your Resume

• Results v. Responsibilities

Where did you leave your mark in each role? What are you proud of? The answers to these are examples of achievements and should populate your job description.