On Your Mark, Get Set for Job-Hunting Season

Thirty-eight percent of IT professionals surveyed said they were likely to look for a new job in the third quarter of 2006, and the number is expected to grow in the fourth quarter, according to a survey released Oct. 23 by Spherion, a recruiting and staffing firm.

“Job-hunting times peak here in the fourth quarter and the beginning of the first quarter of the year. This is the time that budgets are approved and new initiatives are commencing and there is a flurry of activity, as seen in the number of jobs we fill for our customers as well as the activity base.

“A lot of people are saying to themselves: I will be in a new job next year,” Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing at Yoh Services, a provider of talent and outsourcing services based in Philadelphia, told eWEEK.

If you’re among those thousands of techies who want to change jobs in the new year, however, hiring professionals will tell you that Jan. 1 isn’t the time to kick off your preparations—it’s now.

“You need to start preparing about six months before looking for another job. It’s almost like you are building a strategic plan for yourself,” Lanzalotto said.

For more information on IT careers, see: How to Get—and Keep—Top IT Talent

Starting to gather resources, credentials and goals in advance puts workers in the best position when opportunities come around.

“If you are reactive in the job hunt, you risk not being as smooth as you’d like, taking knee-jerk steps or jobs you don’t end up wanting. The more planned out you are, the better place you are in to make the right decisions,” Lanzalotto said.

eWEEK picked the brains of five technology workplace experts, asking them what IT workers should be doing to best align themselves and their career goals for the job-hunting season ahead. A surprising number of these tasks could be completed between Thanksgiving and Christmas, typically the slowest time of the year for hiring.

Read the full story on eWeek: On Your Mark, Get Set for Job-Hunting Season