by David Sullivan

I am constantly asked this question by the whole spectrum of computer forensics professionals - from new graduates looking for their first role to experienced practitioners. An old boss of mine always used to tell me the best time to be looking for a new job was either in September or January. The theory for September was that people resigned after reflecting on life during the annual summer holiday and in January it was due to a New Year's Resolution to change jobs. Mind you, the same boss who shared this wisdom bet £500 on England to win Euro 2008 the day Steve McLaren was appointed England Manager! OK, so I think we can conclude my old boss is not exactly Nostradamus for the 21st Century but was he correct on seasonal variation?

It is hard to give a concrete answer but looking back through my records of recruiting in the computer forensics sector from 2003-2009 the shape of the graph is remarkably similar each year. Immediately after Christmas recruiting levels are very low and this doesn’t really change until March. We then see a steady increase in recruitment through to September and this activity accelerates until late November before declining to a standstill by mid-December.

Based on this data, it seems like my old boss got it right for quarter four but wrong for quarter one. Still, as most of us involved in recruitment in any form will know, these are interesting times. Even if he was correct, will it still be the same in the future?

There are some people who argue that if the recession continues to ease, recruitment will return to how it was a couple of years ago. Others - including me - believe that following this recession nothing will ever be the same again. My data for 2009 is, I think, pretty much as expected. Due to the recession, overall recruitment volume has been well down but activity has certainly increased since July, especially for senior roles and mobile forensics positions. The fact that a number of senior roles have been filled since the summer is very good news for everybody else in the sector as it suggests that these people will be looking to recruit more junior people in the coming months - including, hopefully, new graduates via the Forensic Focus Graduate Recruitment Programme.

So, going back to my initial question, when is the best time to look for a position in the forensic computing field? In previous years the first three months of 2010 would probably not have been the best period but, in these changed times, perhaps those resolving to seek a new position after New Year will find a pleasant surprise in store!

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David Sullivan is a specialist computer forensics recruiter and the official Forensic Focus graduate recruitment partner.

David can be contacted as follows:

Email: graduates@forensicfocus.com / david@appointments-uk.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1376 339222/+44 (0)7789 633926
Web: www.appointments-uk.co.uk