According to a brand-new study, the Candidate Behaviour Barometer, from the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library, 11am is the most popular time for people to make job applications; with Monday also being the busiest day for job hunting.

The job board analysed millions of data points from its site between 1^st July 2019 and 30^th June 2020 to understand the most popular times and days of the week for job views and applications. It also surveyed 1,700 UK professionals to gain insights on how people balance their job search with their existing role. The findings reveal that:

• Job adverts get the most views on Wednesdays (17.2% of views), followed by Tuesdays (16.5% of views) and Monday (16.3% of views); Sunday is the least popular day (10.2% of views)
• The most popular time for candidates to view jobs is between 10am and 11am (7.6% of views) and 9am and 10am (7.3% of views); the least popular time is between 4am and 5am (0.6% of views)
• When it comes to applications, the most (17.7%) are made on Mondays, followed by Tuesdays (17.5%) and Wednesdays (17.3%). The least common days for job applications is Saturday (8.7% of all applications) and Sunday (9.2%) of all applications
• The most popular times for people to apply for jobs are between 11am and 12pm (7.7% of all applications), between 10am and 11am (7.68% of all applications) and between 12pm and 1pm (7.43% of all applications). 

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments: “Employers and recruiters that are continuing to hire during the pandemic are in a fortunate position, as there are more active job hunters on the market right now. But, while the job market has shifted, understanding how candidates behave will always be important. Our latest report provides some fantastic insights that can help you streamline your hiring process; and ultimately speed up your time to hire, while reducing costs.”

According to the job board’s survey, 54.1% of Brits admit that they look for jobs when they’re meant to be working; with 57.7% stating that they don’t feel guilty about it. What’s more, two-thirds (66.3%) say they’re more likely to search and apply for jobs on weekdays, over weekends

In addition to this, just under half (49.1%) of Brits have used a work computer, laptop, or mobile device to look for a new role; with 40.1% stating that they look for jobs at work because they feel more focussed during this time. 

One in three (34.6%) say they do it because they feel bored at work, 11.4% because they feel too tired to look after work, 8.6% because they don’t have a computer at home and 5.3% because they don’t want to search during their personal time.

The study also reveals that 62.3% of people who have been working from home have said that they’ve been looking for a new job during this time; with 79.5% admitting that it’s been easier because they’ve been away from the workplace. 

Biggins concludes: “We might be in the middle of a pandemic, but that isn’t stopping people from searching and applying to new jobs. Definitely make the most of this active talent pool if you can, but have a think about the best times to advertise your jobs and what you should be including in them to make them as appealing as possible.”