Monday? Thursday? At 11am or better yet at 2pm? In September or in January? What is the best time to send your CV? When do you have the best chance as a candidate? And can you really make a difference that way?

Those who apply for jobs are rarely alone. There are always other candidates sending in their CVs for the same position. They are your competitors at the time. As a candidate, you naturally make the difference by presenting the right experience. But apart from the content of your CV, can you trump the competition by applying at the right time? And if so, what is that right time?

We are sorry to disappoint you straight away. There is no such thing as the golden moment to apply. If you have a CV that does not match the vacancy, recruiters will not invite you for an interview, even if you apply at the right time. Still, there are some guidelines you can keep in mind. Especially when you send in your application directly or spontaneously.

Starters, don't wait for your degree!

If you graduate in September and then start looking for a new job, you can be sure to run into a lot of fellow students. Outsmart them and apply just before the summer holidays. With the current scarcity in the job market, there are definitely employers who are open to this.

Read also: What do you put in order after you graduate?

Would you rather still apply in September? Then start looking for traineeships. A lot of companies respond to the large load of recent graduates and tailor their job offers to starters. Here you usually get extra guidance and they take inexperienced applicants into account. As a starter, you do not have to compete with competitors who have two years of experience. Search on "young potentials", "traineeships" or "junior".

Conversely, as an experienced jobseeker, it is best to avoid this period. In September, a lot of companies are focused on that young talent. Chances are they are not looking for someone with ten years of experience right now. Wait a few weeks and then try again.

Better not apply in these months

During the summer holidays, companies are also less active. One recruiter alternates with another and chances are that your application will be left lying around. The supply of vacancies is also generally lower during the summer holidays. Want to make an immediate impact? Then wait until the months of October-December.

In January, with New Year's resolutions, a lot of people are thinking about a new job. So you can count on a lot of competition in this month. Better wait until February-March, by then companies will have been able to convert the plans they made in January into concrete vacancies and the jobseekers who started their search in January will have found a new job by now.

The ideal hour? Definitely not immediately after publication!

Do you think applying for jobs immediately after publication is a good idea? In itself it can't hurt, but be sure to take your time before applying. A spelling mistake is easily made and you definitely want to avoid that when making your first imprint. Don't take too much time either, before you know it the deadline has passed.

If you apply spontaneously, it is best to wait until after the morning rush hour. Around 11 am your contact will have updated his or her mailbox and your e-mail will therefore attract extra attention.

How does this work at Select HR?

We put it to the test and looked at the past year at Select HR. When did we receive the most applications?

Interestingly, no month stood out from the rest last year. Only in the months of February and November did we record an average of 11% fewer applications than in other months.

In terms of time of day, last year most applications were sent between 4am-10am. On average, the number of applications between 9pm-22am is 12 times lower than the number of applications between 5am-6am. So if you want to take a chance, it is better not to apply in the early hours, but just after recruiters have processed their new load of applications.

Around 3 pm, the number of applications is on average 65% lower than during the peak hours in the morning. So you stand a better chance then because you have less competition and the recruiter has updated his mailbox.

Which day of the week is most popular for applying? At Select HR this was ex aequo Monday and Tuesday, closely followed by Wednesday. On average, we received 65% fewer applications on Thursday. The figure takes a dive at the weekend with an average of 3.5 fewer applications on Saturday than on Monday.

Conclusion: If you want to stand out, it is best to apply in the late morning or early afternoon, on a Thursday. Your competing applicants are fewer in the months of April and July. But the right time is far from everything! Remember that a good CV, at any time, still stands the best chance. Our advice? So put your energy and time into formatting your CV rather than timing your application.

Ready to apply? Select HR helps you on your way! Check out our more than 2,000 vacancies at numerous companies in Belgium here.