How Long Does It Take to Find a Job?
Hi friend,
Whether you’re currently searching or thinking of starting a job search, it’s probably not something you’re looking forward to. Looking for a new job is frustrating, lonely, and a lot of work. If you’re between jobs, you may be under a lot of pressure to find something quickly. So how long does a job search take, exactly?
How long does it take to prepare for your job search?
Though most people continue to improve their application materials throughout their search, you need to do a minimum amount of work to update your resume (and cover letter and LinkedIn and portfolio) before you can start applying for jobs. People get stuck here for a few reasons: firstly, most people don’t do a good job of keeping their resume and other materials up to date; secondly, it’s hard to find the words to describe yourself; thirdly, many people feel that their application must be perfect before they start applying.
When I coach job seekers, it usually takes 2-3 two hour sessions for us to completely update their application materials. Some people want to move quickly and we finish this all within a week, but most spread it out over a couple of weeks. While you don’t need a coach, if you have a friend who is a strong writer or good listener, it can help you capture your previous experience a lot faster. If you are working on your application materials alone, triple the preparation time to 12-18 hours. Plan for 2-4 weeks of overall preparation time (conservatively).
How long does the application and interview stage take?
The application phase begins once you are actively applying to new positions. Do not stop looking for and applying to new jobs until you accept an offer, no matter how many final stage interviews you have. Most hiring processes include an application, a screening interview, and 1-2 in depth interview stages before a reference check and offer. Depending on the company and type of role you are applying for, things may move quickly (I know a number of companies where time to offer for candidates averages around two weeks for software engineers), but a good conservative estimation is two weeks to move between stages, or 6-8 weeks to get an offer after submitting your application.
At this point, you can see that we are looking at a range of 8-12 weeks (optimally— I cover your odds of being hired at each stage of the hiring process in a different blog). But, if you don’t receive an offer from the very first jobs you apply for, or you don’t like the offer, or if companies are moving slowly, or if there aren’t very many jobs available— well, it can take a lot longer. To get a more conservative estimate, double the time to 4-6 months.
See you next week,
Karissa
P.S. It’s safe to estimate a minimum of two weeks between the offer and the start date in most cases, but companies may also want new hires to start on the first of the month or quarter for administrative purposes. If you are worried about money, add 4-6 weeks onto your timeline to account for time between offer and first paycheck.
