Hiring Lifecycle: What Job Seekers Needs to Know

by Tiffany A. Dedeaux

I’m aware of my assumption that hiring slows down during the Summer. It makes sense, right? Everyone – or at least key personnel – goes on summer vacations. In my mind, everyone does it as a road trip, because that’s how I grew up: long windy weeks on a highway in middle America with little to no access to technology. Then there are the end-of-year holidays where the social calendar is so demanding that the weight of everything else just rolls off its back.

Why does this matter?  If you’re looking for work it is important to know how much of the void — no responses, callbacks, or signs of life – are actually because of your application versus circumstances beyond your control. I pulled together a Hiring Lifecycle where Job Seekers can see dips in hiring and can plan for them.  What I discovered and my recommendations for how to adapt are captured in the infographic.

Notice that I labeled the stages Q1 – Q4, as in the four quarters of the year. Hiring does, in fact, pick up starting in mid-January and again in September. Based on this, I recommend that during the Summer Slowdown the focus be on networking and leveling up or adding to your skillset.

For the Winter holiday season, my recommendation is to spend spare moments clarifying and defining your Career Resolutions. This is an ideal time to update your career documents (resume, cover letter, portfolio, profiles) to fit in with your new career goals.

From my own experience as a Career Coach, I have seen a stronger surge of clients in the Fall when, coincidentally, Summer is over and school is back in session.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I noticed 2020 had a high hiring time to make up for the Spring quarantine. In 2021 the Summer was again slow with the hiring returning once everyone knew what was happening with the schools.

Depending on your target audience – a list of ideal companies – the hiring lifecycle may not be this simple because their corporate budgets might reset during the Summer. For this reason, consider mastering your market through research and the ever-important informational interview. This will help you set both the tone and expectations for the job search ahead.