The Best Times to do ANYTHING in a Job Search 2025 Edition

The Best Times to do ANYTHING in a Job Search 2025 edition

A year ago I published a newsletter outlining the best times to do the various activities required in a job search. Since then, I have gotten tons of questions on the subject. So I dug in to see how guidance may have changed. The good news is that most other than LinkedIn traffic numbers have stayed the same. So this may be new information for some and refresher for others.

What are peak hiring seasons?

Most organizations align their fiscal calendars to run January through December. This means that January is when most employers are creating budgets, reviewing their org charts, and preparing a strategy to build resources (including human) to meet the demands of the upcoming year. Given that it takes a bit of time for these needs to translate into job postings, late January and February are the best months for people to get hired.

Hiring typically remains nearly as strong until key personnel start taking time off in droves during the summer. It isn’t that companies don’t need people in the summer, it is just that it can take longer to get through the selection process while hiring authorities (and candidates) are out of pocket.

Because companies’ flow of new talent has been slowed during the summer, there tends to be a renewed focus on hiring that runs post-Labor Day through mid-November.

Hiring slows down during the holidays for the same reason it does in the summer and because employers know that they will be rethinking human resource allocations in a few weeks anyway.

But waiting for peak hiring times can be too late! Remember that only 25% of people get jobs from the posted job market! It is much more effective to access a job through the hidden job market. This means that your goal should be to develop the necessary connections BEFORE peak hiring season when the need to hire is recognized but the process and competition has not yet begun!

What is the best day of the week (and time of day) to apply for a new job?

According to surveys, most talent management teams tend to set up their screening and interview calendars early in the week, so applying on a Monday or Tuesday is best as a default. It can also be advantageous to time your application for 9 AM delivery to hit the top of the inbox.

Therefore, if you are looking to select a consistent day of the week to conduct a search, it should be Monday. And for efficiency's sake, it should be EVERY Monday. Searching every week may seem like a lot, but you will save a ton of time over the long haul by avoiding jobs that are no longer open or duplicating effort considering a job you had already acted upon.

For those who have the time and flexibility to do it, applying within 48 hours of the job being posted can be an advantage as recruiters may feel a sense of urgency to fill the interview docket as quickly as possible. Setting up job alerts on Indeed, LinkedIn, etc., can flag you when an appropriate role has been posted.

Bear in mind, submitting junk in the interest of hitting this 48-hour window won’t help you much. It would be better to give yourself five business days to do the job right.

What is the best time to schedule an interview?

If you are given an option to time your job interview, shoot for the middle of the candidate pool. Being the first person interviewed means that you will be establishing a baseline for the other candidates and are more likely to become a distant memory if the process is a long one.

You also want to avoid being the last candidate interviewed or the last interview of the day when the interviewers are worn out. This is to avoid being a victim of narrow bracketing, which can happen when an interviewer has met their “quota” of quality candidates and is less likely to positively view later stage candidates who are similarly strong.

Studies show that Tuesday is the best day of the week for interviews. But Wednesday and Thursday are good, too. And shoot for late morning, after the interviewer has settled in but is not yet fatigued or stressed out from their growing to-do list. Avoid Monday AM and Friday afternoons if possible.

As with applications, execution is more important than timing. So, scrambling to an interview after dropping the kids off at school and stressing through rush hour may not be the best idea, even if it means you give up that treasured 10 AM slot.

What is the best time to post on LinkedIn?

Engaging on LinkedIn is no longer optional as it has become a cornerstone recruiting tool for most companies. According to a recent study, six people are hired on LinkedIn per second and more than 72% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find people. Building a LinkedIn profile based on your resume and adding influential contacts to your network are keys to tapping into the published and hidden job markets.

Remaining top of mind to those influencers is important, too. Well-placed contacts are likely to hear of companies that need your offering, but they may not think of you if you are but a distant memory. Posting content and playing off other people are great ways to remind your network of your area of expertise.

Timing matters if you want to get the biggest impact from your effort. According to LinkedIn, these are the best times to generate engagement: Monday 8-10 AM, Tuesday 6-8 AM, Wednesday 9 AM, Thursday 2 PM, Friday 8 PM, Saturday 4-5 AM, Sunday 6 AM. Note that if you don’t have time to post during these times, you can create a post when you have time and schedule it to go out later.

Other social media sites, like Instagram, X, and Twitter, have different traffic patterns.

If you are over 55, this applies to you, too! It is crazy that only 2.9% of LinkedIn users are age 55+. Failing to have a viable LinkedIn profile (and yes, a picture) will be a massive red flag to employers that you aren’t keeping up with the times. It’s not fair to accuse employers of ageism if you are impossible to find in the first place.

What is the best time for email networking?

A fully robust job search involves connecting to people we don’t know well or at all. This kind of outreach is normally one of the most energy-draining aspects of career management. So, if you are going to do it, try to time things so that you get the highest response for the effort.

Tuesdays have the highest email open rates among weekdays, but Saturdays are best overall. In general, it is more effective to send email outreach in the morning vs. afternoon or evening.

Your note should be brief and to the point. Offer multiple times or ranges of times to avoid making the recipient do all the work. Follow up five business days later if you have not heard back.

What is the best time to cold call someone?

Most job seekers would never consider cold calling a prospective employer. And, as a hiring manager, I hated getting unsolicited calls. But…as irritated as I was, I often hired those people because they demonstrated the drive and determination I was seeking. For those of you who are bold enough, studies show that the best time for cold calling falls between 10 AM and 12 PM, and then again from 4 PM to 6 PM.

A Favorite LinkedIn Testimonial

Glenn and I became friends and networking partners several years after I started Job-Guy and he got into the real estate business. We advised each other informally throughout those years on a number of topics. A few years ago, Glenn decided that he wanted to get back into IT during a less than robust Job Market.

Not only did Glenn land a terrific job he has gone on to bigger and better things as IT manager, and the director.  

“I called upon John (The Job Guy) to help me after I had been searching for a new career. I had not gone through the resume/interview/hiring process for around 13 years and decided that I needed some help. John was able to turn my resume into an effective tool and give me the right advice, which helped me obtain quality interviews and meet the right people. His advice and knowledge is second to none and was always there to answer my questions. I started working with John in April and started a new position in a new career in September, in an economy that finds more people unemployed then employed, that is not a bad time frame.
 
John is knowledgeable, personable and knows what it takes for you to succeed in your current or future career. I would highly recommend him and I will continue to use him when I need help climbing the corporate ladder.”

 Job Guy’s Search Tip of the Month

It is important to do the right things at the right time

While timing is important, you should never prioritize it over quality. So please remember these key philosophical points:

• A resume which has been edited to match keywords submitted a day late will outperform one that has not been optimized but was sent in on time.

• Having the time to prepare for an interview with minimal distractions is better than being late or rushing one to fit one of the target times.

• It is better to submit well-considered email outreach and social media posts off-peak than to throw junk out there because it is Tuesday or Saturday (although there is a way to easily achieve both).

Not only is it important to know the best times to conduct all aspects of a job search, it is also essential to do the right things to begin with. For more on that, check out my April blog post.