Q. Are there typically seasonal fluctuations in job offerings at media companies?
Is there an ideal time of year to check for postings?
Day RunnerA. Companies run on year-long budgets. Most have budget years that start in January. Others may have a fiscal year that starts in June. There can also be season cycles in advertising and circulation. The
calendar to watch is the fiscal one.
In these budget times, when revenues seem to be declining more steeply than budget-makers forecast, you are going to see some very tight year-ends. Now, these don't surprise people, as slack revenue at mid-year will trigger tightening maneuvers, such as hiring freezes and even layoffs. Saving corrections for the last month or two will leave the managers with too little time to prevent a mess.
So, in most cases, if there is to be a better time of year for hiring, it will be in the first few months of the year.
But this is only one factor. If, for example, the newsroom has a lot of departures or turnover in some key positions, these events could eclipse budget fluctuations. A tide of new candidates flooding into the market, such as at graduation time, can also affect hiring cycles.
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