VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Stats show this week was the most popular time of the year for Canadians to search for a new job online.

We took a look at how you can rise above the crowd if you’re looking to kick off the new year by making a career switch.

January is the busiest month of the year for recruiting firms. “It’s the new year, (people) want to focus on new jobs and also there are more jobs because generally companies have new budgets in January so they are looking at their staffing needs so they might actually get the green light to hire new staff,” says Sheryl Boswell with Monster Canada.

She says software development, sales, retail and customer support have the most job postings right now, but if you see a posting you like you have to act fast.

“Because there are so many job seekers out there right now don’t delay when you see a job ad that you might like. Recruiters usually review resumes when they are first submitted and if you postpone that in order to make the perfect cover letter, you might be losing out on an opportunity.”

She says BC, Ontario and Alberta topped the list as the provinces with the most job postings on the site.