In the ever-changing world of job hunting and recruitment, it’s time to shake up our thinking about when the busiest times of year are for recruiting. The old trends have changed since Covid-19. Recent research from Cangrade on the timing of Pre-Hire Assessment completions from 2021 to 2023 reveals some surprising shifts in recruiters’ busiest and slowest times of the year.
Here are some of the eye-opening findings from Cangrade to pay attention to in 2024 — and how you can use them to benefit your hiring operations.
The Busiest Month of the Year for Recruiters
Forget what you thought you knew about January being the prime month for open roles. July takes the crown as the month with the most pre-hire assessment completions, with 25% of total completions. Hot on its heels is August, with 18% of completions.
Interestingly, January, which used to be known as the go-to month for job openings, is now lower on the list as the fourth most popular month for assessment completions, tied with May. It only beats out March and Q4. The data shows that hiring momentum builds throughout the first half of the year, reaching its peak in July, and then starts to slow down in the third quarter and beyond.
For recruiters, this means it’s time to rethink when you approach strategic versus task-oriented work. Leverage a slow Q4 and January to start building your talent pool, optimize your recruitment operations and refine your candidate screening. Use the season to prepare proactive strategies to enhance your candidate experience ahead of the summer surge so that when July and August come, your team can quickly identify top talent to close roles and deliver an optimal candidate experience.
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The Most Popular Day for Job Applications
For recruiters, the old saying that Tuesday is the best day for job applications still holds true. Tuesday sees the highest volume of assessment completions at 25%. So, if you want to speed up the hiring process, assign hiring assessments early in the week.
Weekends, on the other hand, see a decline in completion rates. Jobseekers are much more active during the weekdays, especially on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Sunday is the least popular day for completing assessments, highlighting the importance of starting the hiring process early in the week for the best results.
Conclusion
“Recognizing the trends in hiring cycles empowers recruiters to strategically plan their talent acquisition efforts, ensuring they are well positioned to attract top-tier candidates during peak hiring seasons. By harnessing this knowledge, recruiters can streamline their processes, ultimately fostering a more efficient and successful employment experience,” shares Cangrade Chief Customer Officer Jen Rifkin.
The job landscape is constantly evolving, and it’s important to adapt. Leverage these trends to start optimizing your recruitment strategies and workflow today so you are the most productive all year long.