As nights rapidly ascend, the temperature plummets and a carpet of leaves forms all around; autumn is here. With summer over, before the madness of Christmas begins, autumn is an excellent time to consider your next career move. So cosy up with a pumpkin spiced latte and read on… We explain why autumn is a perfect time for job hunting and share some top tips to help you land your next role.

Three Reasons Why Autumn is a Perfect Time for Job Hunting

1 – Recruitment Activity Picks up During Autumn

Directors, HR managers and key decision-makers are often being on holiday in the summer. This means the hiring process tends to slow down within certain businesses. Once normality resumes in the autumn, companies usually begin planning their goals for the coming year. With this, often comes structural changes, internal moves and promotions. All of this internal restructuring creates a wealth of new opportunities for job seekers.

2 – Seasonal Christmas Jobs Become Available

Many businesses see an influx of customers during the holiday season and a seasonal increase in sales. Of course, this increase in trade creates an abundance of temporary job openings. If you’re looking for temporary, seasonal work, autumn is the time to update your CV in preparation for a job search.

Of course, temporary work may not be the answer to your long term career goals. But if an opportunity presents itself as temporary, there’s no harm in applying. The reason we say this is that employers don’t like to let go of good employees. Most employers will try to find permanent positions for good temps if the opportunity arises in January and February.

Lady using her laptop to complete all her Christmas preparations — Christmas can create no end of jobs, which companies need to fill so they can achieve their goals.

3 Networking Takes a new Lease of Life

With the summer holiday behind us and the kids back to school, activity steps up a gear. September is when businesses and professionals start getting serious about networking and hosting important business events during the autumn.

Networking events present great opportunities for candidates to make vital contacts. Attending events and making connections can help build your reputation as an expert in your field. Knowing an insider can make it easier to get a foot in the door of a desirable employer.

Where to Focus Your Efforts During Autumn

With evenings drawing in and the weather turning colder, we all find that we spend more time at home. Using this time wisely can boost your employability and make your job application stand out to hiring managers. Although it’s not always easy to know where to focus your efforts for maximum impact during the autumn months.

Lady realising that autumn is a perfect time for job hunting — Autumn is a fantastic time to search for jobs for so many reasons.

Update your CV

Is your CV up-to-date? If not, get ready for an autumn job search by updating you CV. Highlight your most recent work experience, including any training, qualifications and personal achievements, as well as your past achievements. Spend time tailoring your CV, to maximise your chances of getting an offer for the job you’re applying for.

Get networking

As mentioned above, the networking events’ calendar can tend to go ballistic during autumn. Give your employment success a head start, by being active on the networking scene. Attending events and introducing yourself to influential figures and employers in your field will gain you recognition.

Hone up your transferable skills

Now’s a good time to hone up and polish your transferable skills. For example, brushing up on your communication skills, whether it’s written, verbal or digital, will make you a capable asset to any organisation. Not to mention ensuring you come across more confident and articulate in an interview.

Practising your presentation skills can also help make you a leading contender for a new position. Many companies require employees to deliver compelling presentations to customers, colleagues and clients. A great way to hone up presentation skills is to volunteer for lead projects that require presenting during meetings.

Candidate giving a presentation during an interview — It is not unusual for companies to ask candidates to prepare a presentation at some point during the interview process.

The rise of social media platforms means that marketing skills are easy to develop now, more so than ever. You don’t have to be on every social media channel available. Although the profiles of the ones you are on should be consistent. It is extremely common for employers to check out applicants social media channels as part of their background checks. Keep this in mind before sharing anything you might not want them to see.

Improve your problem-solving skills

When you’re job-hunting in the autumn, use your time wisely. Practice being resourceful and improving skills associated with identifying problems and finding solutions.

Problem-solving skills are easy to improve by visualising a problem and looking for ways to overcome it. Employers value individuals who can solve problems quickly, efficiently and diplomatically. Being simple but creative in your solution can often have a better impact than complex, long-winded lectures.

A Few Final Thoughts on an Autumn Job Search

In addition to an abundance of jobs, we also see an increase in job applicants during autumn. So while it’s true, autumn is a perfect time for job hunting, your application must stand out against the increase in competition.

We hope you found this article useful. If so, please share it on social media where others can benefit from it too.