Dive Brief:

• At any one time there are 6 million jobs posted to LinkedIn. LinkedIn looked at the jobs posted by 15 top U.S. and European staffing agencies, to find out if they could determine the best times when LinkedIn members would be more likely to apply for jobs on the popular professional platform.

• Colin Hickey, Senior Insights Analyst at LinkedIn, writes that their findings indicate that Mondays through Wednesdays are the most popular days for members to search for and apply for jobs. Additionally, September and October are the heaviest months for job applications, because of January peak hiring.

• Hickey advises “since applications peak in the fall, recruiters should have headcounts ready by this time.” He also warns that recruitment teams should be ready to handle large volumes of applicants during this time period. 

Dive Insight:

LinkedIn is by all accounts the biggest online professional network worldwide. With some 433 million members in 200 countries, there’s more than enough candidates to go around for busy recruiters. Yet, it can be a bit overwhelming to compete with everyone else for talent. Colin Hickey, of LinkedIn, mentions also that the post-recessionary unemployment rate in the US is around 5% and in Europe it’s 10%, meaning competition will continue to increase.

Looking at LinkedIn's data, Mondays have 10% more activity than Fridays. Seasonally, the autumn months are the busiest times when companies advertise jobs and job seekers are most active. The summer months can be the slowest time for recruitment. October is the peak month for job applications. Contrary to popular belief that people are most often looking for jobs to complete their “New Years’ Resolutions," it looks like most are considering a job change toward the end of the previous year.