It’s Blue Monday, So Is It Time For A New Job?
January is such a tough month in so many ways: you probably got paid before Christmas, meaning that your bank balance isn’t looking too healthy right now––and payday is ages away. The weather is dire, those endorphins depleted during the festivities are struggling to retain equilibrium, you’ve broken all your resolutions. The icing on the cake? You’re back at work too.
So you’d be forgiven for just putting your head in the sand, waiting January out altogether and hoping February brings brighter tidings. Unfortunately, there’s worse to come, because 16th January is “Blue Monday”, aka the most depressing day of the year.
Despite the fact that Blue Monday has no real scientific grounding––in fact it was a smart marketing concept created by UK travel company Sky Travel in 2005––the idea has caught on, probably for all the reasons listed above.
Sky Travel came up with the concept by looking at metrics such as debt levels, temperature, days until the next bank holiday, the number of days since payday and average hours of daylight. These combined, gave the company the third Monday in January as the annual grimmest day, or as we now know it, Blue Monday.
These days, it hardly seems to matter that it’s a marketing gimmick. What Blue Monday represents is how so many of us feel this month: a January-driven ennui that results in lots of people reporting low mood.
New year, new job
So what can you do to combat the Blue Monday blues? Taking control is always a positive start. January might be a bit miserable on the social front, but it is a fantastic time to look for a new job. A new year means hiring managers want to hit the ground running so they can fill vacant roles, and replenished budgets mean new hires are possible.
Fifty eight percent of the UK population made a New Year’s resolution for 2023, with one of the most popular being the commitment to get a new job in the coming year. Blue Monday represents the perfect day to start that search.
Below, we’re taking a look at three jobs currently available. As always there are thousands more to discover on the City PM Job Board––guaranteed to turn your frown upside down.
Software Engineer – London, TravelPerk, London
TravelPerk is a scaling unicorn valued at $1.3 billion, which has raised over $400m since its creation in 2015. Right now it is seeking a Software Engineer with extensive programming experience. You will work on a day-to-day basis with the product team to design, architect and implement product development in Python/Django and/or React. You will also be involved in integrations between TravelPerk’s product to third party APIs as well as system architecture design, implementation, and testing. You will need a “Product Engineering” mindset to apply as well as extensive experience in similar roles building technically complex products in any web programming language. Get all the details on this job here.
Software Engineer, UI, Google, London
As a Software Engineer, UI, you will work on a specific project critical to Google Cloud’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as this fast-paced business grows and evolves. You will anticipate customer needs, and be empowered to act like an owner as you build products for reliability information within Technical Infrastructure and the Google Cloud Platform. You’ll work closely with UX to design a compelling product for users and support partner teams’ onboarding by creating robust infrastructure and UI. You’ll need experience with TypeScript, Angular, Go, SQL, and data visualisation to apply for this role.
Business Developer (London), Ebury, London
Hyper-growth fintech firm Ebury was named in 2021 as one of the top fintechs to work for, and offers a range of products including FX risk management, trade finance, currency accounts, international payments and API integration. As a Business Developer, you will be a crucial contributor to Ebury’s growth, responsible for researching and qualifying potential clients to build a database of leads and working closely with the team to build and present valuable FX solutions to clients. Want to apply? You will need to have experience within a B2B or client-facing environment, speak fluent English and have an interest in the financial markets. Get more details on this job here.