Why January is the time to find a new job, and how to land that perfect position

[A woman walks past a "Now Hiring" sign as she leaves the Urban Outfitters store at Quincy Market in Boston, Massachusetts September 5, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyder]

It’s often said that when searching for a new job, timing and preparation are everything. Whether you’re looking for a lateral move, a new organization or a step up the corporate ladder it’s important to make sure you know what is around the corner in your job search.

And when it comes to timing, the time is now.

January is the busiest time for employers as they enter the new year, as they tend to be adding numbers to their headcount. With the new year also comes new budgets, ideas and planning for the year ahead.

According to information collected by Monster Canada, the top five job categories to close out 2015 were in the fields of IT/Software Development, Sales/Retail/Business Development, Customer Support/Client Care, Accounting/Finance/Insurance and Manufacturing/Production/Operations. The job search site anticipates that these sectors will continue to grow into 2016.

Within these categories, Monster had thousands of jobs circulating their websites in late 2015, with the highest volume of job ads being in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.

“We see many job postings go up within the first few weeks of the new year,” says Sheryl Boswell, Director of Marketing at Monster Canada. “So for those who listed ‘finding a new job’ on their list of resolutions, they may be in luck if they search for jobs this month.”

Whether it’s on your list of New Year’s resolutions, you’re feeling the pinch to make a move or you just want to keep your eye on the job market – there are many things to keep in mind as you making your way into the job searching pool.

Stand out

When an employer posts a job ad, in a large metropolitan city, the employer will receive hundreds of resumes for a single posting. With dozens of highly-recognized career portals available at the click of a finger, it’s easy for an employer to let the world know, “Hey, we are hiring!”

On job search websites such as Monster, Workopolis, LinkedIn, Job Bank and even Craiglist to name a few, there are a plethora of job ads flooding their pages each day. And with some additional job search engines, such as Indeed, they are used not only as a posting site for employers, but these engines also scrape large corporate job boards regularly to flush over their fresh content.
So with copious amounts of advertising, keep in mind there will also be copious amounts of applicants.

“Applicants will want to ensure their resume and cover letter are polished and free of any errors – asking a friend or family member to proofread each item after any updates can help prevent submitting an application with typos,” says Boswell.

It is also equally important for applicants to tailor their resume and cover letter to the role they are applying for. It helps show the employer that the applicant has put some thought into their application and are invested in this potential career opportunity.

Do your research

We live in a time where information is available to you at your fingertips. Whether you are applying to a job posting that is appealing or researching a potential organization that you’re interested in working for, it has become more critical during the application process that you’ve done your homework.

“Through tools like blogs and social media, there is a plethora of information available online about a given company that may not be evident in the job posting. It’s good practice to learn as much as possible about a company before applying,” says Boswell.

Keep in mind that many recruitment and human resource professionals, if interested in your resume, will next reach for the phone to have a live conversation with you regarding your profile and application. If you’re best prepared for that phone call, your odds will be much higher to land a face-to-face interview.

If you really want to blow your competition out of the water, keep this tidbit in mind: if you’re familiar with the company mission statement and values, charity and community involvements, names of executive members within the organization and any positive media attention they have gained, it’ll show you’re interested in the company beyond what you saw in the job posting.

Resume revision

How you choose to tailor your resume is all based on personal preference. Keep in mind, however, you only have a handful of seconds to grab a reader’s attention and intrigue them to continue reading. Short, powerful sentences help to get your point across without cluttering the page with too much information.

If you’re having difficulty with your resume or want some tips and tricks, there are many resources available to job seekers available on all of the job-seeking platforms, such as Monster and Workopolis.

Network, network, network

It has been said, that your network is your net-worth and during the time of social media and networking at an all-time high – this is the absolute truth.

With professional sites such as LinkedIn, it’s important to look at your connections within the company in which you’re applying. Perhaps you already know someone working at that company; this is a great opportunity to reach out to your connection and ask them why they love the organization they are working for, any tips they have to getting your foot in the door and what you can potentially expect from the hiring process.

Sometimes when it comes to recruitment and landing the job, the question of ‘who do you know?’ is just as important as the entire application process.

So what’s next?

Although there is no step-by-step manual to finding your next career move, it’s important to keep an open mind and stay up-to-date with what is happening in the job market. By hitting the job market when companies are gearing up and entering into the new year, you’re putting yourself in the best possible light to gain attention for your resume and cover letter.