How to Prepare for the September Surge
News of the September Surge is everywhere. If you haven’t heard of it, the time between Labor Day and Halloween is traditionally the best time to look for a job, aka the September Surge. Official job numbers don't necessarily support an increase in hiring, but hiring managers, recruiters, and job seekers have anecdotally reported that this is the best time of the year to find a job.
And hiring slows down around the holidays, so if you’re hoping to make a switch before the end of the year, you should be ramping up your efforts NOW to do it.
We’ve collected some of the most common advice on how to prepare for the September Surge and are breaking it down below:
Update your LinkedIn with the right keywords
This is great advice from Dan From HR. Recruiters will be ramping up their efforts and searching LinkedIn for the roles they want to hire. If you don’t have the right keywords in your profile, you could miss out on opportunities. Make sure your header and bio accurately reflect where you want to go in addition to where you’ve been.
Warm Up your Network
This advice is from Flynanced (who we love!) and it aligns with the advice we usually give to our clients. The best way to network is to approach it with a sense of curiosity and/or mutual interest, as opposed to asking for or selling something.
So, reach out to a coworker from your past and ask them for coffee. Learn what they’re doing now, who they know, and what they’re reading. Share what you’re doing now, who you know, and what you’ve learned. They’ll be more open to offering you help in your job search down the line.
Update Your Resume
Another common piece of advice is to update your resume. We’re putting it lower on our list because networking and optimizing your LinkedIn will get you more bang for your buck. Your resume should be updated before applying for jobs (and we can help,) but there will be thousands of other people doing that.
So prioritize networking. The old adgage, it’s not what you know, but who you know, has never been truer in today’s crowded job market.
Don’t hesitate
Ramp up your job search efforts. We’re assuming, since you’re reading this and have gotten this far that you’re eager to find a new job. You might be tired or fed up or frustrated that your efforts so far have gotten you nowhere. This is not the time to quit, however.
Set yourself an audacious goal (number of applications, networking requests, coffee chats, etc.) and strive to hit that every week. Take care of yourself with mental breaks and time off, but then get right back to it. Job searching is a marathon and you’re at the finish line.
Need help or support? The Resume Rehab is here for you!
👉What we’re reading:
Some companies are making recent college graduates wait until 2024 to start their jobs. This could mean trouble for next year’s graduating class.
Illinois is the latest state to adopt salary transparency on job postings. This makes 9 states that currently require companies to post salaries.
