The Best Time to Look For a Job...

Is when you don't need to look for a job. 

You’ve got recruiters contacting you on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and maybe even Facebook, offering you an opportunity that they think you’ll be perfect for. However, right now you’re fine. Oh, there may have been some company buyouts, a couple of reorgs here and there, but you’ve survived every one of them. What’s the use in even looking at any job opportunities? 

Well, things change. You never know when your luck will run out and you’re on the chopping block. Not that you should be anxious or anything, but it’s something to keep in mind. Now, I’m not saying that if you know you haven’t the tiniest inclination to discuss a position with a recruiter to entertain them. No, don’t waste their time, but what you can do is look up similar roles to see what’s out there. This can provide new insights and industry trends related to your current role you may not be aware of. Again, things change, especially in the job search market. 

Perhaps you say you’ll worry about that when the time comes. But…I’m telling you, if you think it was a job to look for a job your last go around, it’s like working two jobs now. More on this in a moment. Meanwhile, here's what happens when you wait until you need a job to look for a job. 

1. You Rush. When you rush, you tend to get a bit anxious because now you’re either running low on savings or severance is about to end. The bills, well they don’t stop coming. This may cause you to apply frantically for jobs on any and every job search engine or board you can find. Including stalking that recruiter you turned down before. By the way, this is similar to the first reason in my book: Why Your Resume Isn’t Working.

2. You Don’t Understand the Process. As a career consultant and Interview coach, I specialize in the job search and I help clients look for jobs. Not only that, I actually apply for jobs just to stay up on the process. With AI assistant recruiter platforms automating the process, from resume screening to timed skill assessments and one-way interviews, it can be quite confusing and a little unnerving when you’re trying to navigate your way through these waters for the first time after 10 to 20 years. 

Remember the days when you used to do maybe two or three interviews at the most? Well, for the majority of job candidates, those days are gone. Now, it can be up to six, including a 90-day plan you created, flying to the company headquarters, meeting head executives, and you still might not get the job. Today’s software and the entire process is supposed to enhance the candidate experience (side-eye roll). But, be that as it may, all of this can take a considerable chunk of time out of your life. 

3. You’re Not Aware of Current Salaries in your market. Suppose you’ve been making $80K a year and all is well. I mean, you’ve been receiving some pretty decent pay raises through the years. So, now as you’re rushing to apply, you select your desired salary as $85K to $90K? However, what you may not realize, is companies are offering candidates with fewer years of experience than you about $15K to $20K more these days. Looking ahead of time, gives you the leisurely opportunity to look up salaries for your exact role today.

4. Job Titles Change. Your current title might be Sales Representative, so you search for similar titles. After three days and at least five to six hours a day, you’re already exhausted because you can’t find any or very few jobs. True, you may not find many “sales representative” jobs and guess why? It’s not because those jobs are few and far between. It’s because job titles change. Yesterday’s sales representatives are now sales executives, business development representatives and even customer success managers (for inside sales). A Security Guard is now a Loss Prevention Officer. Have you heard of Director of First Impressions? That’s a Receptionist. 

5. You Don’t Recognize Scams. I’m talking all kinds of scams from shady “so called” recruiters sending you text messages for an interview using a name they pulled from a legitimate company, to sketchy job search engine sites and even genuine job boards with fake job postings. Or, the postings that have been advertised for weeks after they’ve been filled. And let’s not forget those “too good to be true” opportunities. Scammers are getting craftier these days and I’m still seeing stories on LinkedIn where people were taken, or almost taken advantage of. 

6. No Time to Research. You should always take the time to do thorough research of the companies you’re targeting. How stable are they? How do they treat their employees? What’s the culture like? Suppose the hiring manager is just looking for a seat filler, or the company has extremely high turnover due to management’s unachievable goals? You need to know these things. When you rush, you might end up walking into a fire storm.

7. It’s Easier to Get a Job when you don’t need a job. Yes, this is an old saying that still rings true today. Not only do employers realize you’re not desperate, but you’re in a better position at the negotiating table (well that is if your salary is up to date, but of course look up the current salary for your industry first). This can also cut down on the multiple interviews, leading to a faster hiring process.

Overall, it’s just less stressful to test the waters ahead of time. I’m not saying do an exhaustive search when you don’t need to, but if nothing else, just stay current on the latest trends. This way, when it is time for you to actually start looking, you can plan accordingly. And by all means, don’t forget to update your resume every six months to a year.

A longer version of this article will be in my next book. Want to know when it’s released? Send me a message on LinkedIn.