The Best Time to Apply for a Job

TalentWorks, what might be dubbed an automated job-networking resource, recently published research based on a sample of 1,610 job applications chosen randomly from its database. The key factors found in the research are a little weird, but here you go.

Time of Day

Even though the job applications are largely auto or semi-automated, TalentWorks found that applying for a job between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. increased the likelihood of getting the job by five times. “During this time,” the company’s chief executive officer Kushal Chakrabarti, wrote, “you have a 13 percent chance of getting an interview.”

He noted that after that morning window—and it’s important to note the timeframe is in the time zone of the employer—the odds of getting the interview drops by 10 percent every thirty minutes. The odds start to climb back up around lunchtime, or 12:30, when the odds climb again, but drop back down after 12:30 p.m.

“The single-worst time to apply for a job is after work—if you apply at 7:30 p.m., you have less than a 3 percent chance of getting an interview. You’re fighting another clock here (the number of days a job has been posted) but, at this point, it’s better to save your email until the next morning,” Chakrabarti wrote.

Although TalentWorks’ research is interesting—and rather provocative—it’s worth keeping in mind that TalentWorks’ is using this information to market its ApplicationAssistant, which is an automated application service that will set the date and time of your applications for you—and yes, you guessed it, submit before 10:00 a.m.

TalentWorks’ research also found—and this doesn’t seem terribly surprising—that another factor for improving the odds of getting the job was to apply within the first three to four days of a job posting. That makes sense, although there’s undoubtedly an argument to be made that if a job hasn’t been filled after several weeks of being posted, the company is still looking intently for that right person—or there’s something wrong with the job, such as it’s dramatically underpaying. Or, perhaps, as is often the case, the company is very slow to hire people.

Why?

This is where things seem to get a little dicey. Chakrabarti cited a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) published in 2011 titled “Extraneous factors in judicial decisions.” The researchers found that parole hearings had more positive results, by as much as 65 percent, if the decision was made after a coffee or food break. If the parole decision was made right after the break, there were 65 percent better odds of getting parole, but if it was right before the break, the odds were almost zero.

It’s certainly interesting research, but there are at least two problems with applying this scenario to job postings. First, just because you apply to a job in the morning does not mean that the individual or individuals on the receiving end look at it immediately. It’s entirely possible it sits on someone’s computer until they find time to read it, or prints it out and sends it off to a decision-maker. And it would be extremely difficult to determine that in a broad study based on TalentWorks’ services.

Another concern is the study itself, which was conducted by Princeton University researchers evaluating 1,112 judicial rulings over 50 days in a 10-month period by eight Jewish-Israeli judges and two Arab-Israel judges in Israel, involving two parole boards. As interesting as the study was, the factors are just so different than job hunting in the U.S. that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to compare them.

What Day?

A study conducted in 2015 by SmartRecruiters indicated that Tuesday is the day most recruiters post jobs online and the day most job seekers apply. It’s also the day when most job offers are made. Probably because Mondays and Fridays are generally busier doing other things.

SmartRecruiters’ blog post wrote, “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 Tuesday. 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.”

Control

One issue that Chakrabarti addressed is the feeling of lack of control many job seekers have. Although it’s difficult to say whether the time of day or even the specific day ultimately matters when applying for the job, if doing so on Tuesday mornings between six and ten makes you feel more in control and decreases your stress levels, then it might be worthwhile. If it only increases your stress level by putting even more restrictions on applying for a job, then maybe it isn’t worthwhile. TalentWorks’ research suggests it makes a difference, but the case for correlation and causality is pretty thin.

But there are other, probably more important factors in the job search that you can control.

If you think about it, they’re obvious. Make sure your resume is up-to-date, well-organized, free of typos and grammar issues. If you’re concerned about it, consider hiring a professional resume writer or service. At the very least, spend some time on the Internet looking at examples of good resumes in your field to better understand standard format and content.

For both cover letters and resumes, one key that falls into the put-your-best-face-forward is to focus less on “duties” and more on “accomplishments.” It’s not wrong to write on your resume, “Wrote and submitted grant applications to the National Institute of Health (NIH).”

It is, however, significantly better to write: “Won National Institute of Health grant worth $1.2 million over 3 years to conduct research into human immune system layering and the neonatal response to vaccines.”

Specifics, metrics, and framing duties as achievements presents what you can bring to the job, not just what you did.

And make sure there are no typos!

Angelica Marden, writing for Popsugar, noted, “Each hiring manager will have his or her own process for reviewing the applications that come in and a set deadline for filling the position. It’s more important to make sure your cover letter is flawless and that your correspondence is impressive than it is to be concerned with the time you submit it. On the off chance the hiring manager is the type of person who pays attention to the time you submit your application, sending an email early in the morning—as in between 6 and 9 a.m.—could be impressive because it says you are an enthusiastic early bird. That being said, make sure to keep the hiring manager’s schedule in mind if you decide to make a follow-up call. In that case, call during business hours on a lower stress day of the week like Tuesday or Wednesday and plan what you will say in advance.”