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By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC

Summer is a time when many people relax and go on adventures. Kids may be out of school, the weather is warm and inviting, and there are a lot of places open during the summer that aren’t open other times of year.  As summer comes to an end, the kids go back to school and it’s time for job seekers to go back on the job hunt.

Seasons

The end of summer is a good time to job hunt for a few different reasons.  Some types of companies hire seasonal workers during the summer because it is their busy season. At the end of the summer, when those seasonal workers go back to school, companies assess their most recent selling season and see if they need to make any changes.  Most companies aren’t going to make any drastic changes at the beginning of a busy season like summer or the holidays. The lull between these two is a good time for companies to make executive changes to give time for training and then a solid busy season to test a new comer’s skill. Flex jobs notes that fall is a productive time for companies. Companies have reported that they see a 43% productivity increase in the fall and up to 30% in the winter. Hiring key employees at the end of summer can be critical to this productivity increase.

Business Plans

The end of summer also brings to a close the third quarter in most traditional business settings. Companies can assess their progress for the year and see if any changes need to be made to reach their targets by the end of the year. If the company decides to bring on a new executive, their new manager will have a quarter to get up to speed on the company’s policies and procedures before starting a new year. Many business decisions are made around the close of the third quarter and into the fourth including department budget adjustments, wage increases, and organizational structuring which a new executive can benefit from being a part of. Your dream company’s business plan may include an open position around the time students head back to school!

Markets

Depending on the company’s specialty, they may start to sort out what markets they are going to target toward the end of summer as they get into the third quarter. Companies start to think about new markets to diversify their targets and to do that well, they need experts in different fields. Your skills may be just what they need to successfully diversify their market share! Connections within certain markets may be hard to come by for companies just breaking into those types of accounts. Having an executive with established business connections gives companies a leg up when trying to diversify their markets.

Recruiting

Career recruiters tend to be the busiest in the fall. Companies have made decisions about new positions they need to fill and send recruiters out into the field to find candidates. The job market becomes the most competitive in the fall which means it’s a great time to negotiate. If you are the most qualified candidate for a position, you may just be in a great position to negotiate salary, vacation, and other fringe benefits around the time your kids are heading back to school.

Whether you’re looking for a career upgrade, a position in a new field, or a lateral move within your own industry, back to school can signal back to the job hunt for you.

Let’s get to work!

– Linda

If you have questions about your executive job search, please contact me at 203-323-9977 or [email protected].