Here are the best times for job interviews
The Media Leader Jobs
Studies suggest you shouldn’t go for 9am and Monday isn’t the best day.
There are a number of well-accepted truths about job-hunting. One is that any search can take time — a lot of time. On average, you’ll probably spend about three to six months looking for a new job.
There are also certain times of the year that offer more fertile hunting ground. January and September are two of the best months, for example.
January is a busy period because media brands and agencies often come to the end of their budgets towards the end of the year and, with fresh allocations en route, you tend to see new job ads appearing in December for January or February hires.
While the summer, Christmas and Easter (in fact, any holiday period) are quieter, September is another period of activity. People are back from summer breaks, decisions can be made and there’s fresh impetus among recruitment professionals to get things done.
Pay attention to time
That’s all good to know — but it is only one part of the picture.
You should also pay close attention to the time your interview will happen. It’s pretty common nowadays for a recruiter or hiring manager to send you a link to select your slot and book it into their calendar — and this is something you can work to your advantage.
You might want to do a 9am and get it over with but, according to jobs site Indeed, typically the best interview slots are between 10am and 11:30am, “because it gives employers enough time in the early morning to get energised for the workday and review your application details”.
And it’s before lunch — so if things need to go a little longer, you may find your interviewer can accommodate that.
If you can’t make that work, between 2pm and 4pm is also good. Avoid any later, as you might find both you and the interviewer have checked out at that stage.
Now, pick a day
That’s the time slot sorted. But is there a best day in the week for an interview? According to company reviews website Glassdoor, yes, there is.
Monday isn’t the best, as we all need a bit of time to come back up to speed after the weekend, and the same can be said of Fridays — lots of people are simply fatigued by this point and many more aren’t even working.
In March 2023, for example, data showed that more than 1,400 UK job postings mentioned an “early-finish Friday”.
So what is the best day? Aim for Tuesday. Monday’s bottlenecks are unclogged, anything that was urgent from the week before is handled and work is proceeding smoothly. Both you and your interviewer are more likely to have the headspace to do this interview justice.
But once you’ve actually secured an interview, you’ll need to think about a whole host of other things too. These include gathering together relevant case studies and anecdotes to showcase your skills, as well as creating an elevator pitch for that tricky “tell me about yourself” question.
Ready to start your job hunt?
The Media Leader Job Board is a great place to begin. It contains media and advertising roles across the country. Check out three current vacancies below.
In London, Dentsu Aegis Network is seeking an OOH innovation director at Posterscope. You will be responsible for upskilling the wider OOH team on the latest advertising innovations, encouraging broader OOH thinking by educating teams on the possibilities and helping the company win new-business pitches through innovative thinking.
News UK is looking for a social video producer for The Sun. The London-based role is part of an expanding department where you’ll work with producers and editors to create off-platform social video content for Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
Experience of Adobe Premiere is required, as is filming knowledge and experience with both content management systems and SEO tagging.
Or check out this freelance showbiz journalist opportunity at Bang Showbiz. You’ll be a talented hire with excellent writing skills. An interest in celebrities is essential: you will be sourcing stories and pitching ideas, writing and editing news and features, undertaking red-carpet reporting and interviewing celebrities.
Visit The Media Leader Job Board to discover many more available opportunities
