“What is the best time of the week to apply for jobs?” This question has become increasingly popular among my clients, and I’ve actually been asked this twice within the last week. There is a lot of speculation regarding the best time of the week to apply for jobs, and some data to back it up, but the truth is that there are a lot of factors that go into good timing.
You’ll always be among many applications, but try to apply outside of the application rush
It’s important to remember that when you apply online, you’re one of hundreds of applicants, so it’s ideal to apply at a time when your resume might be among a smaller bunch of applicants. Most people apply to jobs when they have free time, so often people submit a lot of applications on the weekend. Since most companies are closed on the weekend, resumes and applications pile up, which makes it harder to get through and more likely that your application will get passed over. Applying on the weekend won’t make or break your application, however if you can avoid it, you might as well.
Opt for a time when someone will see your application come through
Coming from experience working in a recruiting office, if your application happens to come through as someone is sitting at the computer sorting through the applications, your resume is very likely to get viewed. This doesn’t guarantee anything, but if someone does see your application come through, you’re likely to make more of an impact than if your resume was one of a hundred sitting in a pile from the weekend.
Try to apply at a time when people might be going over the resumes. Think 10am on a weekday, once people have settled into the office and don’t have any afternoon exhaustion.
If you’re applying via an internal referral or a connection, apply on their time
If you’re sending your resume to a friend or connection to be submitted, the timing on their end won’t matter much, but make sure you’re providing your information to them upon their request. If someone asks you to provide your information to them by a certain date or time, make sure you get everything to them either prior to or at that time. Don’t be late.
GlassDoor estimates that being referred by someone at the company boosts your chance of successfully landing a job as high as nearly 7%. If someone has been so kind to improve your chances of landing a job by up to 7%, make sure you work with their desired timeline. They may ask you to get it to them by a certain point so they can optimize your chances of success, or maybe they want to review your resume to give you pointers. Whatever your reasoning is, don’t question it and ensure that you get everything to them when they want it.
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Ultimately, the best time of the week to apply for jobs depends on many different factors such as employee engagement, and number of applications. While there are times that are more optimal than others to apply, there is not one perfect time that will give you a higher chance of success. The bottom line is that your resume has to be great to make you stand out. You can use these tactics to give your resume a higher chance of success, but at the end of the day, your application should speak for itself regardless of when you apply.