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What Is The Best Day To Advertise A Job?

What Is The Best Day To Advertise A Job?

When do you think job seekers are most active? The weekend? Or during the week?

In the grand theatre of recruitment, the spotlight often falls on the act of crafting captivating job ads. Yet, there’s an unsung hero in this narrative: the timing. When we post jobs, we’re not merely scattering opportunities into the wind; we’re strategically planting them where they’ll take root. Whether you frequent traditional job boards or leverage the dynamic realms of social media, understanding the ‘when’ can be just as crucial as the ‘how’ or ‘where’.

Diving into the pulsating heart of the job market, this blog unfurls the secret scroll of timing, illuminating why the hour and day you choose to broadcast your job ad could mean the difference between an avalanche of apt applications and a disappointing drought. What really is the best time to post that meticulously crafted job opening? How can the hands of the clock influence the fate of your recruitment endeavours?

Join us as we dissect the subtle art of timing in job advertising, unveiling insights that transcend the generic. Whether you’re about to post a job on digital titans like LinkedIn, niche job boards, or your own company page, we’re here to guide your steps through the temporal maze, ensuring your ad doesn’t just meet the right eyes, but meets them at the right moment. Welcome to the journey – your path to mastering not just what you post, but when you unveil it to the world.

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Highlights And Key Takeaways:

  1. Timing when you post job openings is vital, with most qualified applicants searching job boards on Monday, with continued high activity through to Thursday.
  2. Job ads prepared in advance can be scheduled for posting during peak times on the most popular day for job applicants.

The Importance Of Timing In Job Advertising

Timing Job Ads

In the digital age’s bustling bazaar of employment, the timing of jobs ads plays a pivotal role, often serving as the boundary between an avalanche of quality candidates and the sound of virtual crickets. Imagine launching a ship (your job post) into the vast sea of potential; the perfect time ensures smooth sailing into capable hands, while an ill-timed launch might mean getting lost in the storm of online content.

Application traffic isn’t constant; it ebbs and flows, influenced by the routines of daily life. Understanding this rhythm is crucial. Job seekers, whether they’re casually browsing or actively on the hunt, have patterns in their engagement. Some days, they’re more inclined to deep dive into new opportunities, while on others, they might just skim the surface. Posting on the worst day could see your meticulously crafted advert sinking into obscurity, garnering scant attention and even fewer applications.

But it’s not all about dodging the days that could doom your recruitment efforts. Identifying the optimal moment for your job posts means harmonising with the heartbeat of the job market. When are candidates most receptive? When are they actively looking? These are the golden hours, the high tides of applicant activity that can carry your opportunity to the shores of the most promising professionals.

Timing your job advertising with precision isn’t merely a suggestion; it’s an essential strategy in the fiercely competitive quest for top talent. So, as you stand on the brink of announcing your next opening, remember: in the symphony of recruitment, timing isn’t just a component. It’s the conductor, orchestrating a performance that could spell triumph or obscurity in the world of job posts.

When Are Candidates Active?

Hiring People have a sister website, called Check-a-Salary (where you can compare UK salaries), which naturally attracts a significant amount of candidate traffic. Analysing that traffic, along with data we get when companies advertise for a job (we analysed around 20 million job postings) together with the results from when candidates have applied to jobs we are advertising for clients, brings out some surprising trends.

We have always been surprised that website traffic decreases significantly over the weekends; wouldn’t that be when candidates are most likely to be investigating their next career move? Especially with unemployment in the UK being well below the long term average.

We then decided to analyse when candidates apply for the jobs we are advertising for our clients; would there be a similar pattern? The answer was there is, with it being even more pronounced at the weekends; job seekers are applying for jobs primarily Monday – Thursday.

When Do Candidates Apply?

We have been advising clients that advertising a job to go live on a Friday is generally not that great an idea due to when candidates are most likely applying for jobs. With this in mind, we then investigated when are jobs advertised.

When Are Jobs Advertised?

Four things stand out to us:

  1. A significant number of jobs are advertised at the weekend; considering how sites work, this strikes us as not maximising value.
  2. Thursday is the most common day for jobs to be advertised, closely followed by Friday; again not optimal for advertising roles.
  3. Advertising jobs on Monday seems to be a missed opportunity; considering that it is the start of the peak of job applications, companies are likely to get the best response from the data we have.
  4. Friday stands out with a high number of job adverts placed, which will be seen by comparatively few job seekers.

When you advertise your job through Hiring People, we can delay the advert going live; this means that we can get everything set up on Friday, with it going live on Monday, with the goal to increase your response rate. Saying that we do have clients that have great success advertising a job on a Friday, giving them a pool of candidates to review on Monday.

Contact us to find out more and get started or explore the topic of posting new jobs further by reading How To Advertise For A Job.

Perfect Timing: It’s Not Just About The Day

Best Time To Post On Job Boards

Under the luminous spotlight of recruitment, achieving perfect timing transcends merely pinpointing the ideal day of the work week. It delves deeper, navigating the intricate hours when candidates’ attention is at its zenith. Regular posts might tick the consistency box, but synchronising your watch to the candidates’ digital pulse escalates your advert’s visibility and impact, shattering popular belief by showcasing that when you post can be just as pivotal as what you post.

Embarking on this temporal journey necessitates exploring the best hours to release your advert. Picture this: the majority of job seekers are akin to the rest of us, scrolling through opportunities either during a lull in their workday or after the curtains close on their professional commitments. Aligning with candidates’ peak online times typically means embracing the lunch hour rush, between 11 am and 1 pm, or catching the evening wave from 7 pm to 9 pm. It’s in these precious pockets that your job ad can ride the high tide of candidate activity, avoiding the low waters of digital disengagement.

However, the plot thickens in the realm of platform-specific job ads. Social media platforms, with their casual browsing nature, see spikes of activity during the evenings and weekends, times when individuals unwind and explore. Conversely, newspaper classifieds demand a more traditional approach, favouring early morning postings when the paper is fresh in readers’ hands and minds. Career sites or a company page dance to a different tune, thriving on early week postings, specifically Monday through Wednesday, when professional ambition tends to reignite.

The right time is a nuanced but mighty variable, a silent whisper amidst the cacophony of job advertising that, when heeded, can orchestrate encounters between outstanding talent and exceptional opportunities. So, whether you’re queuing up a post on LinkedIn, drafting a detailed description for a career site, or preparing an eye-catching snippet for tomorrow’s newspaper, remember: the clock doesn’t just tick, it talks. Are you ready to listen?

Beyond The Day: Other Key Factors In Successful Job Advertising

When To Post Jobs And Job Openings

Beyond the intricate dance of timing lies a mosaic of elements instrumental to the symphony of successful job advertising. The day, though crucial, is but a single thread in the tapestry. Recruiters must weave in other vital threads, crafting a masterpiece that captivates and converts.

Central to this masterpiece is the art of crafting compelling job descriptions. Free job descriptions are an ideal starting ground, however they lack the unique allure of a tailor-made narrative. It is crucial when you start with a free job description template to infuse your customised script, which can be truly transformative. Infuse your brand’s personality, highlight the distinctive perks, and articulate the role’s impact within the larger organisational tapestry. A magnetic job description doesn’t just inform; it entices, envisages, and engages.

The stage upon which this narrative unfolds also bears significant weight. The role of the platform in reaching ideal candidates is often underestimated. Each platform resonates with a distinct demographic and psychographic audience segment. A social media platform attracts a tech-savvy, dynamic crowd, while traditional career sites might appeal more to those with a penchant for stability and structure. Navigating this landscape requires an astute understanding of your ideal candidate’s habitat. Where do they seek opportunities? What platforms do they trust? Answering these questions ensures your job advert template isn’t just filled with enticing prose but also strategically positioned.

The crescendo in this recruitment symphony is prompt follow-up. In a digital era teeming with instant gratification, candidates anticipate swift responses. A prompt follow-up isn’t just courteous; it’s a signal of your organisation’s commitment and enthusiasm. This timely communication can significantly enhance the candidate’s experience, painting your company as responsive, respectful, and keenly interested in their potential.

In conclusion, while the temporal aspect of job advertising holds substantial sway, it’s the amalgamation of well-crafted descriptions, strategic platform selection, and prompt follow-up that truly elevates the recruitment process. When these elements converge harmoniously, they don’t just fill vacancies; they forge profound professional alliances.

When To Post Job Advertisements FAQs

Next, we answer the questions of employers and Human Resources professionals on the best time to post jobs:

WHAT DAY DO MOST JOBS GET POSTED?

Step into the realm of opportunity and it’s clear: Mondays sparkle with promise for job seekers. Statistics reveal a surge in fresh job ad listings at the dawn of the workweek, with employers eager to capture top talent whilst they’re high on motivation and ambition. 

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO POST A JOB AD?

Timing a job ad is everything, especially when it comes to capturing the perfect candidate. To engage the cream of the crop, publish your opening on a Monday morning. Why? This strategic move catches professionals gearing up for a productive week, with high activity on job boards continuing on Tuesday and through to mid week. Post a job ad between 11 am and 1 pm, when potential applicants relish their lunch break by pondering fresh careers, and watch the magic unfold. 

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU ADVERTISE A JOB FOR?

In the rhythm of recruitment, patience truly is a virtue. Present your opportunity to the world for a minimum of two weeks. This window allows your vacancy to simmer in the market, attracting both active seekers and passive prospects who might need an extra nudge. Remember, quality trumps speed. Give top talent the time to discover, deliberate, and respond to your beacon of professional adventure. Your ideal candidate is out there, and good things come to those who wait. 

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