The Best Time of Day to Apply for a Job — And Land the Interview (2023)

FAQs

What time of the day is best to apply for jobs? ›

One widespread practice is to make your submission early in the morning so that it is one of the first things that the hiring manager sees in their inbox. Anytime between six o'clock and nine o'clock in the morning may work as it is still early in the shift.

As explained by this post on Glassdoor, Tuesday is the optimal day for an interview. Knowing this—and the facts that we all hate Mondays and aren't nearly as focused on Fridays—if you have the option, scheduling your interview somewhere in the middle of the week is likely ideal.

Time does matter.

Those aren't very good odds! A much better option is to send your application in the morning hours. Between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m. is the perfect window. It turns out that sending off applications at night, after you've gotten off work, isn't the best choice.

A few years ago, an analysis of more than 4,000 applications by TalentWorks found that submitting a résumé and job application on a Monday (or very late on Sunday night, so it ends up at the top of recruiters' inboxes come Monday morning) boosted your chances of being hired by 46 percent.

But studies have suggested it's best to apply for a job as soon as possible. The closer you apply to a job after it's been posted, the better your chances of hearing back.

Morning interviews are usually the best choices for job candidates, too. By getting the interview out of the way earlier in the day, the candidate won't have as much time to get nervous or stressed. They'll also have the right amount of energy and shouldn't be as fatigued as they might be later in the day.

Aim for between 10am and 11am. The pre- or post-lunch slots may mean a distracted or lethargic hiring manager. Play it safe with afternoon interviews between 2pm and 4pm. If the employer's working day ends at 5pm and the interviewer has evening activities planned, their attention will be elsewhere after 4pm.

Although it varies depending on industry, most interviews last between 45 minutes and one hour. This should provide sufficient time and flexibility from both sides to get to know one another.

But it's not all bad news — adjusting your timing can also improve your chances. The analysis found that the best time to apply for a job was between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Doing so could make you five times more likely to score an interview.

The time of day you apply for a job can have a big impact on whether your resume is read. Applications received after 4 p.m. are the least likely to result in an interview.

Is Friday a good day to apply for a job? ›

Friday: On Friday, many hiring managers may focus on finishing other tasks before the weekend begins. Submitting your application on this day may mean that they put it aside until Monday, and it may be at the bottom of the pile of applications submitted over the weekend.

Does Applying Late Hurt Your Chances? As mentioned before, once the application deadlines all pass, the later you apply, the less likely your application will get accepted.

The vast majority of accepted students do not receive a “likely letter” before official admission decisions come out. This is true no matter whether they applied early decision, early action, or regular decision.

Scheduling an interview for the best possible time can be important for a variety of reasons. For one, scheduling your interview at a time when the interviewer is most alert can improve how the initial conversation is directed, as well as the interviewer's perception of your fit for the job.

Yes, Friday statistically shows up in surveys of job seekers as the interview day that led to securing employment. This goes against what most people currently think, yet repeated studies of both job candidates and companies show that Friday interviews seem to be the favorite of the 5 business days.

Your skills and qualifications. If you can prove that you've got all the skills that the company is looking for in a candidate, you'll have effectively answered the question. Your passion and motivation. You can highlight how good of a company fit you'd be and how much you love working in your field or industry.

On average, it takes about five to 10 hours to properly prepare for an interview. This amount of time is often enough to review your resume, research the company and hiring manager, and practice basic interview questions and answers.

Fully understanding this is critical to effectively communicating during any interview. Your response should be less than a minute and a half when an interviewer asks you to "tell me about yourself." Why? You'll have that interviewer's attention for just about 90 seconds.

Is a 30 minute interview short? ›

If your interview was 30 minutes long, then it was just long enough. Hiring managers will generally schedule about 30 minutes to interview a candidate for most position levels. If you lasted the full 30 minutes, you know that you answered the questions well.

Yes, it is definitely OK to apply to a job online late at night. Most recruiters go through new applications in the morning. If you apply late at night your chances to get reviewed the next day are pretty good compared to mid-day. Before 8 am is the best time to apply especially for operations/sales/marketing roles.

Most HR professionals agree that it's worth applying for a job past the closing date if you qualify for the role.

You can definitely reapply to a company that rejected you, as long as learn from your previous mistakes and make corrections. So, if the perfect role has become available in a company that has previously turned you down, don't stress.

If the weekend is your only option, apply as late as possible on Sunday night. This way, your email is at the top (or near the top) of the recruiter's inbox, making it more likely your application will be seen first.

You can apply for jobs on the weekend, especially if that is when you have time to put together the best application possible. While the timing of your application may affect some hiring processes, for many others, the exact date or time of submission doesn't affect the selection process.