Pick a new job in the fall, not summer
I'm getting really sick and tired of my job and I think it's time I make a move. Is summer a bad time to try to do this?" Anonymous
While most people are lounging on their patios or gardening on their days off, others spend their weekends dreading Monday.
Unfortunately, summertime gives us more opportunities to think about what is driving us crazy. Vacation days can offer a reprieve from a sticky work situation, but unhappy people are likely to bring their workplace unhappiness home with them.
Even if you're not terribly unhappy per se, you may find yourself reflecting a bit more on the sustainability of your job when you're saddled with a heavy workload during your co-worker's month-long trip to Disneyland in July.
While it may seem like a good plan to get out of there before you become a complete curmudgeon, summer is often a terrible time to try to find a new gig.
In most workplaces, this is when people take most of their vacation days. Few places want to bother with hiring when their entire team isn't around. What's more, summer students or interns may be picking up some of the slack, providing a temporary solution to a staffing shortage. Come September, when the kids go back to school, workplaces may be more motivated to get around to hiring.
Waiting for the fall gives you a chance to start exploring what your options are and what kind of salary you should be ultimately negotiating. By the time autumn rolls around, you'll be well-prepared to launch a full-scale job hunt.
Also, if you wait until there's a plethora of jobs to apply for, you may be able to better leverage multiple offers. Remember that this is your ultimate goal -- to receive offers from more than one employer, in order to negotiate better pay and work terms, and to have more choice overall.
Of course, there are fewer people searching for jobs in the summer, and so your competition is minimal. Depending on your industry, this may be an important consideration.
As a compromise, it may not be a bad plan to start applying for jobs now, to see what shakes loose. But be wary of accepting your first offer -- there may be many more offers when the leaves start to fall.
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