The holiday season has just begun, and many recruiters and hiring managers prepare for the slowest time of the year. It is common to hear that companies and businesses are less likely to hire someone around December. Such a misconception can be a deterrent for job seekers, stopping them from sending resumes and job applications. However, there are many ways for us to keep recruiting staff during the holiday season.
The very first thing we need to do is keep our Hiring Department up and running, instead of letting it slow down by the end of the year. Also, we need to be mindful of our candidates’ schedules, as they might have limited time to answer calls or messages. Taking advantage of the holiday spirit will also help us stay motivated. Lastly, if we are not having many applicants come by, we can take advantage of the time assessing our hiring process. These tips should help us keep recruiting staff during the holiday season and avoid having an overloaded January.
Keep Your Recruitment Department Up and Running
One of the best ways to keep recruiting staff during the holiday season is to make sure our hiring department stays up and running. Keeping our recruiting staff busy and active will motivate them to engage with our job applicants. It is common to see several companies going into auto-pilot during the holiday season. However, the end of the year represents a time of changes for many, and more than a few job seekers might want to look for other employment options to begin the new year with new opportunities.
Be Mindful of Your Candidates’ Schedules
Even when many job seekers won’t stop looking for interviews and potential offers during the holidays, we must keep their schedules in mind. This is because some of our candidates might have limited time during the season. They might have family visiting them, holiday parties, or finishing year-end reports for their current jobs. Therefore, we must consider contacting them via email instead of calling them, unless they said it was ok to call. We don’t want to become one of those cringy stories people tell their friends, or worse, on social media.
Take Advantage of the Holiday Spirit
The holiday season gives us the opportunity to take advantage of the spirit and keep our company alive and cheerful. This is a great way to positively handle the possible end-of-the-year stress or manage the low-sales season. So, keep the holiday spirit alive and share it with your candidates. Having coffee and holiday snacks available can be a great way to motivate job applicants to give their best. This will also show the culture and atmosphere of your company.
Use the Time to Assess Your Hiring Process
This might be a slow time for our company, making it difficult to keep recruiting staff during the holiday season. We recommend you take advantage of any idle time and use it to evaluate and improve your hiring process. Think of what you did right and what could’ve been better during the last 11 months and apply it. Starting the year with a new and fresh hiring strategy should help us improve the quality of our recruitment process and results.
