Is there a best time to apply for a job?

Depends on where you live and what you are applying for. I wouldn’t wait though. Last time my wife and I looked for jobs, many employers pulled their postings in under six hours because they already had hundreds of applications to go through in that short time.

I don’t think the timing makes a diff. It does make a diff if you’re employed when you applied or not.

@Adirondackwannabe Very true; many employers nowadays won’t even consider unemployed applicants.

Before the internet, it was Monday and Tuesdays about 10am (seriously).
Now days I don’t know if that applies any more.

I’m working on hiring right now. Makes no difference when someone applies. What matters to me is the kind of thought they put into the cover letter, and if there is evidence of whether they’ve looked through our website and reflected on what they appreciate about us, the fit of what we and they are up to, and how they can contribute. That’s what really makes a difference to me.

We don’t receive the applications from our HR department until after the closing date and time. So, you can apply three weeks before it closes or one minute before it closes and I will have no idea. Just don’t leave it until after any closing time.

I also agree totally with @Trustinglife. I do take notice when people have obviously not edited their application or have left things in that relate to other jobs they have sent their resume to. Or don’t explain why they are qualified to do the job.

Earlier in the process (the first couple of days is always best. 1. If they find someone they like, they could stop looking, 2. You don’t want your resume on the bottom of a big pile of resumes.

@Bellatrix And if response is such that you close early, then what?

We never do close early. There is a published date and time. There is no way the HR department would let us close it early even if there were 5000 responses. It is an equity issue. They would just send them all to us to go through. Often there are are 100s to go through.