You might have some spare time after dinner or during your afternoon hours to send out some job applications to positions that attract you, but guess what? It turns out that applying for jobs is only half of the battle. You know you are qualified for the job and have all the skills required but you are struggling to land one. The moment you hit the “send” or “submit” button can make a difference in whether you are called in for an interview or you whisper to yourself, better luck next time!
We all know that looking for a job is a full time job in itself. If you are currently employed and looking for another opportunity, or if you are unemployed and actively seeking, this tip is for all of you out there; sending out job applications during early working hours in the morning is most likely to increase your chances of being called in for an interview.
Let’s think about it this way, the daily tasks of recruiters vary. However, all of their tasks revolve around screening, interviewing, partnering with the hiring manager and determine staffing needs. The job post that has been up there was created after the staffing need has been identified. Next, the first thing that the recruiter would do is to screen the applicants. As soon as the recruiter reaches their office and start off with their daily task, they would screen all applicants and filter out the unqualified.
Typical working hours end somewhere between 4pm and 6pm, thus, applying for a job during that time frame might reduce or even kill your chances of being called in for an interview. If you have prepared a well-structured email during those hours, then it’s better to save it until the next morning. Let it sit in your drafts folder until you wake up the next day. One really important aspect is to send your application during the morning hours of the employer’s time zone, which may not be the same as yours.
Another important tip to consider: apply for jobs in the first three to four days of the job post. This is likely to increase your chance of being viewed before the recruiter’s CV folder is cluttered with hundreds of applications. Taking that into consideration, with the morning hours of the employer’s time zone, you may be able to boost your chances of getting a job.
In short, you can think about the timing of hitting the “submit” button in three different steps:
Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoe. You will probably wait a couple of days to have enough applications coming in and then filter out and screen the pile of CVs you got. If your application doesn’t come in before the employer checks their CV folder for the first time; it isn’t in your favor.
This doesn’t mean that applying for jobs after they’ve been posted for 10, 20, or even 30 days means nothing. It simply gives you a hire chance of being contacted and interviewed if you apply as early on as possible.
Also, an advice for all jobseekers out there, take the weekend as a time to update your CV, manage your references and watch online job boards and new postings. It is best to apply at the beginning of the week, after you have gotten everything ready and did enough research on the company you are applying for.
Recruiters usually take the end of a work week to update and review the job descriptions, and they try to tailor it around attracting and engaging the top talent. They tend to publish job posts at the beginning of the week when most candidates will be doing their job search.
Finally, let me remind you of some pin-points for getting your CV noticed:
Every hour and every day counts when applying for jobs. Timing matters a lot, and it does make a difference in whether or not you are landing that interview, so make the best decision when applying.