Do you think that hiring for the Christmas season is not a smart idea? Think twice! December is a golden opportunity for recruiters to hire the best talent. Let’s find out why.
December is a great season for a large number of things. We celebrate Christmas, enjoy the first snow, travel to new places, and spend time with our dearest. But for recruiters worldwide, December is especially important for a completely different reason. This season is a golden opportunity to hire the best talent.
Like most business functions, the recruiting industry has its ebbs and flows. While the rest of the world takes time off to recharge, recruiters work double shifts during the holiday season. Why? Because December is a prime time for recruitment as many potential employees have free time to consider a new job due to their own reduced workloads.
Let’s take a closer look at why December is the best recruitment season and why hiring for the Christmas season is a smart move.
Potential Candidates Have Free Time to Consider a New Job
The majority of employees take time off during this festive season. They have reduced workloads, take time off for vacation, and overall there’s a more relaxed work ambiance. This stress-free atmosphere leaves individuals enough free time to look for a new job or to respond to recruiter calls.
What’s more, candidates have the time to explore their job options, review recruiting companies, and get in touch with people. Maybe top candidates will finally read those employer branding ebooks you’ve created some time ago.
Most importantly, hiring for the Christmas season is a smart move as this is the time when candidates reflect on their life and work. They look into their life choices and determine whether it’s time to make a change.
Prospects Will be Highly Active on Social Media
December is the best time to recruit for another reason. Potential candidates will finally get the chance to review their social media accounts and connect with their friends and family. Although spending too much time on social media is impossible throughout the rest of the year, December is the ideal month for doing just that.
The holiday season is a great time to shop online, send greetings to friends, and catch up with the latest trends. People will be updating their social media accounts, their resumes, and LinkedIn profiles. This means that prospects will be online most of their time, making it easier for recruiters to make contact.
December is the #1 Month to Find an Acceptable Excuse to Leave the Office
Most employees want flexibility in their work. They want the option to work remotely, to work unconventional hours, and to have the freedom to adapt. For example, they want to have the flexibility to step away from their work to attend to small unexpected tasks. Unfortunately, the number of employees who have this type of flexibility is small.
But not during the holiday season. December is the #1 “easy-excuse month” where employees can leave the office. Many employees routinely leave their workplace to run errands, shop, and go to Christmas parties.
That’s why hiring for the Christmas season is one of the most creative recruitment strategies. Because managers are so accepting of excuses, it’s easy for people to make an excuse to get out of the office for either lunch or a formal interview.
Recruiting Budgets Run Out in December
During the end of their fiscal year, many companies stop with their hiring process. This is ideal because many recruiting companies won’t compete with those who are smart to recruit during the Christmas season.
In December, there’s less competition on the market, fewer job postings, and recruiters will have a better chance to make a hire. In December, there’s a perfect combination of limited recruiting by other companies and high activity by potential candidates on social media. If you want to make the perfect hire, December is the ideal time to recruit
Smart Recruiters Have More Time to Proactively Recruit
There are no conferences, no job fairs, or other major meetings scheduled during the month. So smart recruiters will have more free time to proactively recruit.
The relaxed ambiance during December will offer smart recruiters more time to catch up on reading helpful materials and learning about their potential candidates. This reduced workload can free up recruiters’ time to look for high-quality resumes that are already in their database and to proactively seek out others using direct sourcing.
It’s a Time When People are Thinking About Money
With the holiday season come plenty of expenses for shopping, traveling, and celebrating. For this reason, many employees are thinking about their financial situation. They are more likely to spend time reevaluating their current employment and rethink whether they should spend another year in their current job.
If your company pays significantly above the average, December will be a great opportunity to attract those employees who are looking for a higher salary. You can also use this “questioning” period to offer a wide range of other benefits to potential candidates. The list of attractive benefits can include health and dental insurance, flexibility at work, more vacation time, paid parental leave, and team bonding events, among others.
In Conclusion
We hope that these creative recruitment strategies will help you find the talent you’re looking for. Whether you’re a recruiter or a hiring manager, December can truly be an effective “hunting” season that will hopefully give your business a boost.
To conclude, hiring for the Christmas season is a smart move because:
- Potential candidates have free time to consider a new job.
- Prospects will be online most of their time, making it easier for recruiters to make contact.
- It’s easy for people to make an excuse to get out of the office for either lunch or a formal interview.
- Recruiting budgets run out in December.
- Smart recruiters will have more free time to proactively recruit.
- It’s a period when employees are thinking about money.
