Well, the New Year is in full swing and everything is kicking off - it’s crazy, honestly. Now that people are slowly beginning to return from vacation and the office noise level is slightly louder than it was this time last week, it’s time to consider the hiring process! Woohoo. If you remember a few months back, we shared a blog all about the best and worst times to hire, well, now that it’s January, it’s officially one of the BEST times of the entire year to start the hiring process. While we’re sure you’ve heard this often, you probably wonder why? Why is January such a great time to start the hiring process? Check it out.

The Facts

Let’s look at the facts first, shall we? According to an article by Monster, “The first quarter of the new year is always a busy time for recruiting because of new budgets starting,” says Paul Feeney, a partner with AutoKineto, an international executive auto recruiter. Staffers are generally taking less time off this time of year since they’re just coming out of the holiday season, which helps speed up the hiring process in quarter one, as well.”

Makes sense right? Because November and December are so slow and holiday-centric, the last thing on hiring managers’ minds is, well...hiring. The main focus during those months is the end of Q4 and, according to Career Sidekick, “many companies also pay annual bonuses in December, so a lot of people wait until January to change jobs. Companies expect this so they look to make lots of new hires in January. One more reason it’s a great time of year to search for jobs. Companies usually get their new hiring budgets for the year in January, and a lot of the hiring activity that was delayed in November and December can now move forward.”

While the first week of January may seem slow due to everyone slowly starting to return from vacations, by the “second week of the month, things are running smoothly. Once that happens, hiring pick up pretty fast and lots of phone interviews and first round interviews start happening” (Monster).

One thing to really highlight this month is that it’s not necessarily the best time to actually be hired - just the best time to start. This is due to the contraction of the labor market during the month of January. “Many positions are advertised in January but not necessarily hired this month. Still, many companies ​do ramp up in the first quarter to meet the new goals and initiatives in the new year. Additionally, it follows the holiday season, when vacations and year-end tasks have taken the focus off hiring. Also, employees may retire or leave positions at the end of the year, and their replacements will be hired at this time” (The Balance Careers).

Why is January the Best Month to Start the Hiring Process?

Across the board, on sites such as TopResume, CareerSidekick, The Balance Careers, Glassdoor, and Workpolis, January is the peak time to fill that new position. Common reasons for this trend is the slow month of December as well as leaving peak-holiday season. TopResume says that “these are the months most companies receive updated budgets and sales forecasts. Executives have a better idea of what they need and whether they can afford to hire new team members.” Although January can start slowly for some companies, by the middle of the month into February, applications and job postings are booming.

Here are a few notable quotes from business professionals on why this is the best month to start the hiring process:

“For job seekers at the executive level, the first half of the year is prime time for recruiting and hiring, says Howard Seidel, senior partner at Essex Partners (a division of Keystone Partners), a career-management and leadership-development consulting firm headquartered in Boston. “While executive hiring can happen at any time, senior job searches do have seasons where things tend to be most active—January through mid-June is the biggest uninterrupted time for search,” he says. (Monster).

"Per Monster's 2018 year in jobs report, January continues to be the busiest month for job searches with eight of the top 10 days for job searching landing in January," said Monster career expert Vicki Salemi. "The key to reaching you new year job goals and landing a new job, however, is to maintain momentum well beyond January” (Business News Daily).

"During the transition into the new year and into early February, this is when teams are getting new momentum, adding on new members to accomplish their goals when a business is growing," said Valerie Streif, senior content manager at mock interview platform Pramp. “[This is] a time when many people quit or change position, which frees up opportunities for job seekers, too," Streif said. "This shuffle aligns with new year's resolutions and the desire by many for a change." (Business News Daily).

Shane Green, founder of SGEi says: "Companies complete budgets in October and November, and will post new jobs in December, expecting to hire in January and February," he added” (Business News Daily).

How ApplicantOne Can Help

If you’re a small to mid-size company looking to start the hiring process this month (or anytime) - you’ve come to the right place! At ApplicantOne, our innovative technology is here to assist you throughout the hiring process and is aided by one of our talented, in-house recruiters. Over the past year, our technology has grown from one facet to three! We would love to aid and assist you this New Year! Check out our site to read more about ApplicantOne and our Services and be sure to Schedule a Demo with one of our efficient National Sales Executives to get all the details!

If you’re an applicant looking to be hired, check out our Job List where you can Join Our Talent Network and stay up to date with all of our Client’s open positions. We look forward to working with you in 2020!