I wasn’t planning to write about this today.
But something happened this week that I think is worth sharing, especially if you’ve been telling yourself that now isn’t the right time to start or restart your search.
This week, I helped three clients negotiate job offers.
All three of them were mid- to late-career professionals. All three were in active searches during the months when most people assume nothing is happening.
And all three of them received offers in July.
I’ve been coaching mid-career professionals for years now, and the pattern repeats every single summer.
Around June, the energy drops. People start saying things like “I’ll get serious about this in September” or “nobody’s hiring right now, I’ll use this time to rest.”
And I understand the impulse. Summer feels like a natural pause. The pace at work slows down. People are on vacation. It feels like the market is taking a break too.
But here’s what the market is actually doing right now.
Companies that received hiring approvals in Q2 are actively filling those roles. Many of them have deadlines tied to Q3 or the start of the next fiscal year.
They’re not waiting for September. They need people now.
Recruiters are still searching LinkedIn® every day. The volume of candidates they’re seeing in their searches has dropped because so many people have paused. That means the candidates who are still active and visible are getting more attention, not less.
Hiring managers who are running interview processes right now have fewer candidates to evaluate. Timelines tend to move faster. Decisions get made with less internal competition.
And the professionals who are showing up right now are walking into a quieter, less crowded version of the same market that’s going to feel overwhelming in eight weeks.
That’s what I saw play out with these three clients this week.
They all had strong backgrounds.
But they also invested in their job search. They had well-positioned resumes, optimized LinkedIn® profiles, knew how to confidently communicate their value in interviews, and stayed active during the months when most of their competition stepped away.
Here’s what I’d encourage you to think about if you’ve been considering a pause.
September feels like a fresh start. But what it really is, is the moment when every other candidate who paused decides to come back at the same time.
Application volumes spike. Recruiter inboxes fill up. The market that felt manageable in July suddenly feels very crowded.
The professionals who used the summer well are often already in their new roles by then.
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to move, this might be closer to it than September is.
P.S. If you want to use this window while it’s still open, a 45-minute strategy session with us is a good place to start.
We’ll look at where your search currently stands, whether your positioning is where it needs to be, and what the most effective next steps are for your specific situation, so you’re not starting from scratch when the market gets crowded again. You can book a session below.