Career-Move Monday: First working Monday of the year revealed as the most popular time to look for a new job

This Monday 7th January will mark the most popular day of the year to look for a new job.

Jobs search engine Adzuna.co.uk, which boasts over 10 million visitors per month, has seen a consistent spike of web traffic on the first working Monday year on year; on average a 36% uplift in comparison to an average Monday in that year.

Web traffic regularly peaks at 1pm on the first working Monday - meaning Brits are using their lunch break at their current job to look for a new role at another company!

Over the past five years, Adzuna has seen a consistent flurry of job seekers on the first Monday of January: 2014 saw 39.2% more traffic than the average Monday, 2015 had 35.6% more, 2016 boasted a 39.7% increase, 2017 gained 28.7% more and last year received a 37.1% increase.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, notes: “With New Years comes self-reflection and typically brings about the urge for a fresh start, so it’s not surprising so many are looking for their next career move. The resolutions of ‘New Year New Me’ followed swiftly by the most the miserable day of the week bring about the perfect storm for Brits to start searching for a new work challenge.”

“Based on previous years we expect to see around 36% increase in traffic this Monday 7th, so we will again boost our servers to prepare for January’s job-jumpers. When it comes to job hunting, the next few weeks will be some of the most challenging to stand out from the crowd. At this time of year, it’s even more crucial for job seekers to be efficient with their time and take the right steps to maximise chances of success”

Top tips on how best to arm yourself for your next career move

1) ‘New Year, New You’ - be the most up-to-date and best version of yourself

“First impressions count on paper as much as they do face-to-face. As the first step on your job hunt, you’ll need to do some housekeeping by brushing up on your CV to make sure it’s representative of your career path and your current ambitions. Ask yourself: Does it accurately present your journey so far?

Silly mistakes should also be avoided - proofread, proofread and proofread again.Check your CV is written and formatted correctly and most importantly, that it is mistake free. One riddled with typos and grammatical errors is the biggest gripe with employers, according to findings from the New College of the Humanities (NCH) where researchers interviewed more than 860 recruiters.”

2) Know your worth

“Before you go sifting through all the thousands of live UK jobs - we currently have 860,466 on our website to be exact* - it’s key to find out what your salary should be to discover what roles you should apply for.

A quick and easy way to do so is through uploading your CV to our ValueMyCV tool. The software analyses over 50 different aspects of your CV such as work experience, job titles, academic background and location to determine your market rate. After running millions of CVs through our tool, we believe our prediction engine is accurate to within 5-10%. Not only will this arm you with what salary you should be shooting for, but it also picks up any spelling and grammar errors in your CV and suggests live job roles relevant for your career path.”

3) Beat the paper sifting stage
“Your CV looks great and reads well; you’re almost set to apply. So, the final question is: ‘Can it be read by the software so many recruiters now use at the paper sift stage?’. You could be consigning it to the virtual recycling bin unless you double check.

Our ValueMyCV tool uses the same type of software that recruiters use, so it will make sure your CV passes this preliminary test. Giving you a full picture of how recruiters will read and analyse your CV, you know it will be seen by the right people and you have the best chance of getting the salary you deserve.”

4) Listen to your desires and ambitions  

“When job-hunting we’re mostly looking for something that our current role is lacking. It may sound obvious but try to be sure that the roles you’re approaching genuinely offer those key things you’re really yearning for - either by looking at the job description or by asking specific questions during an interview.

It can be helpful to write a list beforehand of everything you wish to gain from the face time with your prospective employer and make sure you leave with a clear view of whether you feel it can offer the key things you’re seeking, that you’re not getting from your current position. Avoid simply thinking ‘Can I do that role?’, instead go in with the mindset ‘Do I want to do that role?’ and ‘Is this company right for me?’”

5) Use tools to manage your search effectively

“Job searching is a job in itself, as such, it’s a process that requires management. You’ll need to keep track of potential employers and jobs, applications both pending and complete, and the contacts you make as you try to further your career.

Trello and Asana are effective organisational tools to help you control your job hunt. Productivity apps like this can be used to break down to do lists into separate tasks, which can then be added to Kanban Boards for each project. Kanban boards have columns for the status of each task you’re working on. For example, you could create one column to keep track of your current job applications. The application process could be split up into five columns: potential applications, application in progress, application submitted, interview scheduled, application rejected. You only get as much out as you put in. You have to be disciplined as every bit of information must be entered by you into the system to ensure a streamlined organisation process.”

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