The start of a new year is typically a time for renewed motivation to pursue resolutions like exercising more or eating healthier. For the career-minded, it’s time to refresh their CV and look for new jobs that offer better cultural fit, more pay or career opportunities. For those in the UK, as the uncertainty around Brexit lifts, people may be looking to make the move that they’ve been putting off in recent months.
This annual surge in job seeking activity is large enough that it registers prominently in Glassdoor data. In January, there are 17 percent more job applications started in the UK on Glassdoor. The difference is even more stark when you consider that November and December are traditionally slower months as people take time off from their job searches for the festive period.
According to Glassdoor traffic, the busiest day for job seekers in the UK tends to be the Tuesday of the first full business week of the year. In 2020, this is Tuesday 7th January.
January will be a busy time for the job market, and job seekers will have opportunities to start the new year — and new decade — strong. To help with your job search, keep in mind these three short pieces of advice:
Be Patient
Be patient but proactive; be aware that recruiters and hiring managers may be slower to respond in January as they return from Christmas and sort through a higher-than-usual volume of applications. Savvy job seekers should stay alert and keep an eye out for jobs posted later in the month when the initial surge of applications has died down.
Be Personal
Put careful thought into any job application. Customise your application and CV to show that you really understand the company and its needs. Consider creating a non-traditional CV to help you stand out against other candidates, such as using design software to make your CV visually appealing.
Be Prepared
Spend time researching the company on all channels, not just its website but check the media for news about the company, review what others have to say about the company on its Glassdoor profile and look up key individuals on LinkedIn. Armed with this information, prepare a list of questions you want to ask the company in an interview to ensure you come across as well researched and prepared.
Methodology
In this research, Glassdoor Economic Research analysed job applications started and new job openings posted on Glassdoor. It calculated a given month's deviation from a "typical month" baseline by comparing it against the 12-month centered moving average—the average of the six months prior, the given month and the five months following.