January has a bad rap – the lull that comes after the holidays can lead to those dreaded winter blues.  January 16^th, dubbed “Blue Monday,” has been scientifically proven to be the most depressing day of the year.  Factors that play into this calculation include weather, hours of daylight, debt level, time since Christmas and low motivation levels.

If reading those last two sentences has you feeling down, don’t be – and here’s why.

For staffing industry insiders, this is the most wonderful time of the year!  Forecasting and budgeting is on the agenda for management teams.  There is nothing like a fresh budget to call a hiring manager to action.  Resolutions carry over into the workplace and renewed teams have the backing and budget to set goals.  They also have a matched sense of urgency to get projects started and the first step is often staff augmentation.

In fact, January is the ultimate candidate market so the advantage shifts to the job seeker.  The demand for talent is the highest it will be all year and great talent is scarce.  Couple that with fresh budgets, managers propelled to act, the right recruiter and now you have something brewing that is anything but blue.

So as the year winds down, I would recommend you resolve to update your resume and / or LinkedIn profile.  Devote 90 minutes to this task you’ll be able to account for much of what you’ve accomplished in the previous year because projects and accomplishments will still be fresh in your mind. With a refined and detailed work history, you will be primed to take advantage of any and all opportunities in the New Year.

Ready for something new? Search our current openings!