Right Place, Right Time: The Data Behind Hiring Success

This article was co-authored by Kasia Senderowska, Recruiting Data Scientist at SmartRecruiters.

When is the best time to post a job? When is the best time to apply for a job? What day of the week will the most applications be submitted? What day of the week will a company fill a position? These are just some of the questions asked every day by hiring managers looking for top talent and candidates looking for the right job. Knowing the answers to these questions can help recruiters and candidates go from ships passing in the night to actually connecting in the right place at the right time.

SmartRecruiters set out to find the answers to these questions by examining a randomized cross section of 270,000+ jobs in America and Canada within the SmartRecruiters system posted since 2013. By focusing on questions such as “What days of the week do people apply to jobs?” and “What days of the week do companies post jobs?” the study shines light on some of the mysteries of recruitment and job seeking.

Is Tuesday the perfect day for hiring success?
According to the findings, not only is Tuesday the most popular day for companies to post jobs, it’s also the day when the highest number of people apply for jobs and the most popular day to get hired.

As the graphs above show, the week is front loaded with job postings and applications submitted, with more than 54 percent of applications being submitted and nearly 58 percent of jobs being posted Monday – Wednesday. Tuesday is where most of the action happens.

Tuesday also happens to be the most popular day to make a hiring decision. Again, the graph above illustrates the beginning of the week when most of the hiring happens, with a significant dip over the weekend when most businesses are closed.

For hiring teams and job seekers, Tuesday seems to be the magic day for hiring success. As a job candidate, take the weekend to get your ducks in a row, update your resume, get your references lined up and watch the job boards for new postings during the beginning of the week, specifically on Tuesdays. Then you’ll be ready to apply as soon as a new posting goes live. For recruiters, use the end of your week to refine your job description and generally make sure the post is ready to engage top talent. Be prepared to post your job at the beginning of the week when most of the candidates will be searching for application opportunities.

Strike while the iron is hot.
The data also shows that nearly 60 percent of applicants apply within the first week of the job being posted.

Candidates that are actively searching for job opportunities and applying for jobs when they first open will have a greater chance of getting noticed and getting in on the first wave of interviews. The longer a job posting has been open, the more competition applicants will face. This can be true for not only the day candidates apply, but even the time of day.

According to the data, 11 a.m. is the most popular time for companies to post new job listings during the week, while the majority of candidates apply for jobs around 2 p.m. Applicants looking to get in ahead of the curve may want to look for new postings in the late morning and take some time on their lunch break to apply.

Recruiters should be sure to communicate promptly with those that apply at the beginning of a job posting. If candidates are applying quickly, they’re likely truly interested and motivated to get the job. Don’t lose top talent by letting too much time pass before you connect with new applicants.

Whether you’re a recruiter looking for quality candidates, or a job seeker searching for the perfect fit, keeping these stats in mind will help you make the most out of your search and lower the possibility of missing out on great opportunities.