Let me start with an understatement: a lot has changed in the employment industry during 2020. While the Twin Cities hasn’t suffered the same unemployment rates as much of the country, we’ve certainly followed the trend of COVID’s impact on our economy. As a result, we’ve gone from a candidate shortage so dire that many local employers were facing serious risks of failing to meet plan simply because they couldn’t get enough people on board to do the work – to something of a surge in available talent.

Put another way, seven months ago, if you had a solid resume and a great attitude, you could initiate a job search at just about any time with confidence that you would find a position that fit your needs. Today, your resume will more than likely be one of hundreds in a pool of talented applicants. This prospect may seem dim, but let me challenge that notion with this: This could be the single best time to launch your job search. Here's why:

It's Q4.

Q4 of any year has historically been a great time to launch a job search. Why? Employers are hiring in the fall. There are several reasons for this. In some cases, hiring managers have a use-it-or-lose-it budget for head count. If they have work that needs to be done, and not enough team members to complete it, now is the time to get the team to full capacity, or the budget may be re-worked next year, with that extra team members salary removed from it.

Other hiring managers are aware that they need to have a fully functional team to hit the ground running in Q1 of the new year. This means they need to hire and onboard new team members in Q4 (now). So while the job market may be tougher this year, timing is on your side.

In fact, we've written about this before. Hear from Lindsay Dubbeldee, Director of our Accounting & Finance group, on why fall is the perfect time to launch your job search. 

You Have What It Takes To Stand Out.

It takes work to stand out in a crowded job market. You'll have to update your LinkedIn profile, proof read your resume, lean on your network, write follow-up and thank-you emails, and more. To be honest, we both know that you should have always given 110% to any job search, regardless of how competitive the job market is. Now it's table stakes, and now is your time to shine. If you'd like a list of tips for standing out in a crowded job market, we've got you covered.

• Delete these 7 Things from Your Resume Now!
• Best Job Search Apps & Websites To Help Your Hunt.
• How to Ace Your Video Job Interview.
• Write The Perfect Interview Thank You Email.

You Have Wanted Change.

You wouldn't be reading this if you hadn't been seeking a change in your career. Well I've got news for you: this is  absolutely the year to make a change. They year 2020 has been a transformative time for both business and personal lives proving that, going forward, life will never be the same again. Get in touch with your recruiter, and start chatting about your next move.