Conventional wisdom used to be that the fourth quarter wasn’t the best time of year to hire or be hired. However, in this post-pandemic job market, outdated attitudes about all things related to work — including hiring during Q4 — are being replaced with creative, flexible approaches that benefit both companies and employees.
Despite the highest rate of inflation in 40 years, the U.S. job market remains strong. According to a new report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers in this country added 261,000 jobs in October 2022 and unemployment remains at near-historic lows.
Although high-profile layoffs at big tech companies including Meta, Twitter, and Lyft are grabbing headlines, there is job growth across many industries this fall, including the technology sector. As companies increasingly provide remote work schedules to their employees and automate business systems, technology professionals are in high demand to ensure smooth workflows. Other industries actively hiring right now include healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and transportation, and construction and real estate.
The bottom line is that businesses are hiring this fall, and candidates — motivated by a potential pay increase, flexibility, professional growth, and company culture — are looking.
Celebrate National Career Development Month
Providing employees with opportunities for professional growth can be indicative of a forward-leaning company culture, and many candidates are motivated to apply for jobs that will help them learn new skills. As a hiring manager, it’s important to include the training and continuing education your company provides as part of your job postings. And, for workers who have paid time off before the end of the year, Q4 can be a great time to level up your skills using free and paid online courses.
November is designated as National Career Development Month as a way of reminding businesses that highly-skilled employees are their most valuable assets.
Stand out!
Despite an active job market, many recruiters and candidates might assume that hiring is dramatically slowing, if not on pause, this fall. This presents an opportunity for companies to step up their recruitment, and for job seekers to step up their search.
Here are checklists of best practices that both hiring managers and job seekers should follow to get their respective best results in Q4:
Q4 checklist for hiring managers
- Update your job descriptions to convey the culture and values of your company, your DEI initiatives, and the creative ways your company values employees.
- Look at your social media profiles — most importantly, LinkedIn — through the lens of a candidate who cares about purpose, culture, and inclusion.
- Research and evaluate professional recruitment firms that can help you find stellar candidates.
- Review your HR practices to make sure they are more than compliant, but are embracing new trends in hiring, like pay transparency.
Q4 checklist for candidates
- Update your resume with the intent of conveying your professional values in addition to your hard skills.
- Update your LinkedIn profile and actively engage with your contacts on a consistent basis.
- Audit your social media profiles through the lens of a recruiter to ensure they are appropriate, authentic, and professional.
- Learn a new career-building skill with a free or affordable course, like those available through Coursera.
Start the conversation
Even if companies aren’t actively hiring during Q4, most are planning right now to so in 2023. This is a good time for job seekers to connect with a professional recruiter, update their resume, and expand their network on LinkedIn. And, for hiring managers, this is a good time of year to vet and establish a partnership with a professional recruitment firm so you can hit the ground running in Q1 2023.
