Ready for new life in your search?

For anyone living in the Midwest this winter, you know what a struggle it has been.  Heck, we have clients in places like Atlanta and Birmingham that have experienced some form of winter weather in the past few weeks.  I did see a robin last week, and hopefully spring is not too far away.  Like the weather, this time of year can have an affect on how you are feeling about a search.

So as the snow melts here in Iowa and the trees begin to bloom again with new life, how does this relate to what a search looks like during this time of year?  There are several ways:

1)  People are generally in a better mood.  That may seem like a quote from a psychologist treating seasonal affective disorder, but it is simply true.  I often get a bad rap from my colleagues as I talk about weather all the time.  But it is a great ice breaker, and everyone this year is looking forward to spring weather and activities.  You can bet big money that it seeps into conversations about hiring needs as well.  You might as well take advantage of that.  Rather than mulling over how things may not be going your way in a search right now, add some positive attitude to every call, email, and meeting you have to make the most of the situation!

2)  As the weather heats up, so do the job boards and hiring needs.  The first quarter is always a time for companies to take a hard look at new hires for the year.  It does, however, take some time to implement some of the changes.  Add in some winter weather for cancellations, postponements, and delays, and right now could really be a good time to be looking for a new role.  Be diligent in watching LinkedIn updates, company websites, posting boards, social media, and any other source of news for hiring.

3)  Hiring needs to happen before summer.  As much as we all look forward to summer, in my house at least it goes by in the blink of an eye.  My kids are home from school, involved in camps all the time, going on vacation, playing baseball, and keeping me out of the office quite a bit.  Hiring authorities at companies are exactly the same way and face the same problems.  If a hire needs to be made before summer, it really needs to happen in March or April to get someone fully transitioned before the craziness of summer hits.

4)  Bonuses are paid out in February and March.  Not every company does this, but there are a large number that do.  If someone is waiting on an annual bonus before making a job change, it is bound to happen soon.  Then the musical chairs begins in full force.  Candidate A leaves Company A, creating an opening.  Candidate B takes the role for Candidate A and creates an opening at Company B.  So on and so forth until all of the good jobs are taken.  If you can time your communication well with these sudden changes, it can certainly serve a great purpose for your long term search.  This has happened twice with clients of mine in the last two weeks, greatly benefiting candidates I had in my pipeline.

What else can you do to infuse new life into your search?  Have you hit a tipping point where something good needs to happen to keep you engaged?  I would love to hear what has worked for you in the past or maybe even something you are going through right now.