When is the best time to apply?
So on many job ads related to product/project management are pointing out go-to-market strategies, which made me thinking. If I’m a product and I’m trying to reach out to the best potential client what would be the best time to apply? So I started digging.
First, I asked myself: should I send my CV early morning, noon, or late at night? Many career sites suggest that submitting early in the workday helps your application land near the top of the recruiter’s inbox. Some even recommend sending late Sunday night so your email is fresh on Monday morning. And when I looked at days of the week, the data often pointed to Monday or Tuesday as the strongest bets, since recruiters are fresh, setting priorities, and inboxes are clearer. On the flip side, Fridays and weekends rarely work in your favor—it’s harder to stand out. Timing also matters when thinking about the year itself: January/February, spring, and September/October tend to be prime seasons because companies reboot budgets and restart hiring, while summers and big holidays are slower. Another crucial factor is how soon you apply after a job is posted—many experts suggest within the first 72 hours to avoid being buried in the pile.
So what happens if the company is global? That’s trickier. If I’m applying to a US-based company but live in Europe, sending a CV at 9 a.m. my time could mean it arrives at 3 a.m. their time. The key is to identify where the recruiting team sits—usually mentioned in the job posting, company careers page, or even through LinkedIn. Adjusting your application timing to their workday increases the chance of it being reviewed quickly. Then there’s the ATS (Applicant Tracking System). ATS software doesn’t care about time zones—it filters applications based on keywords, formatting, and structure. So, even if you apply at the perfect time, if your CV isn’t ATS-friendly, it might never reach human eyes.
My Final GTM Strategy
Ok, so I give in, I'll definitively follow these guidelines, although as mentioned these are most likely chances to be seen. What experience will tell, I’ll check it out. My plan is to first ensure my CV passes the Applicant Tracking System, which is the foundational product requirement. From there, I will prioritize applying within the first 72 hours of a posting, leveraging the momentum of a fresh job ad. If that early application window aligns, I’ll aim for the recruiter’s inbox between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on a Monday or Tuesday, accounting for global time zones. I plan to document which of these strategic timings yields the most interview requests, turning this job search into a living A/B test. This data-driven feedback loop is the ultimate way to refine my personal Go-To-Market strategy for future applications.
While having all this in mind, I've decided finally to commit to my old passion "learning" with a new habit: to write regularly what I've learned. Any suggestions from your side? What worked for you?
