5 Tips for Hiring Top Candidates During the Holidays

Two men in button down shirts and ties and one woman in a button down shirt, all three wearing santa claus hats, attempt a three way high five. Their workplace has a brick wall and one laptop.

5 Tips for Hiring Top Candidates During the Holidays

Here’s why hiring during the holidays is the best time to find new employees.

Little to No Recruiting Competition

If you’re hiring during the holidays, you will have less competition than usual. Plenty of companies run out of money by December for their advertising, recruiting budget, or hiring. Some recruitment agencies are less active from Thanksgiving to the New Year. Due to these two reasons, this is the perfect time of year for recruiting. You won’t have such severe competition and will be able to choose from the most qualified individuals.

Don’t Discount Early Graduates

Up to a third of college students graduate at the end of the fall semester. Most employers aren’t targeting them until the spring, meaning that you could get a head jump on your competition by attracting them now.

College graduates usually have a lot of time on their hands this time of year and are easier to contact. College students graduating in the spring will have less encouragement to take time off.

 

Social Media Audiences Skyrocket

According to a recent study by HubSpot, social media audiences skyrocket during the holiday season. In fact, there was a 50% increase in engagement between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.  That means that if you post something now, you could be reaching thousands of potential customers.

The study found that people were spending more time online than ever before, which means that they are more likely to see your posts. And since people are spending more time online, they are also more likely to share content from brands they trust. If you want to reach your audience, then you should consider launching a campaign or posting a job at this time of year.

Being Flexible Pays Off

You will need to make a few allowances when you hire during the holidays. This is the time of year when nearly everyone has a plan for their time off. People are significantly more attached to their annual holiday traditions than to a new job, so being flexible while scheduling interviews and start days is essential. If possible, offering several different potential start dates and requiring a response in writing would offer flexibility without any confusion. If your company appears to be unable to accommodate a healthy work/life balance, then you risk losing a potential employee, who may decide to pass on the job completely instead of missing out on a family gathering.

Want to see if your job shows applicants signs that your company is a great place to work? View your job from their point of view.

To Speed Up Progress, Streamline the Process

If you’re looking to hire someone for the holiday season, here are some things to keep in mind when making the process as efficient as possible. First, make sure you have an open position available. Second, make sure you have a clear job description and candidate requirements.  Third, consider who exactly will be available to interview them and make the hiring decision. Fourth, consider using a staffing agency to help with the process. Fifth, set up a meeting with potential candidates.  Finally, make sure you communicate clearly throughout the process.

One of the hardest things about hiring during the holidays is keeping everyone informed, such as who covers for the hiring manager or hiring team while they’re on vacation. For job seekers, it’s standard practice to apply to more than one job. While one interview might initially excite a potential employee, the wait to hear back can dull their enthusiasm and lose them entirely to your competition.

It’s a harsh pill to swallow, but it’s true: instead of saying “no thanks,” many employers don’t contact applicants at all when they don’t get the job. This means that if your hiring process takes too long, your applicants may assume that you didn’t want to hire them, so they may look elsewhere. To avoid losing applicants, be clear about who will be available during the holidays to schedule the interviews, do the interviewing, and make the final decision. Remember that it’s not just interviews that need scheduling, but also making the decision about who to hire.

Not able to speed up the process? We can help.

If multiple people need to interview those candidates and an essential team member will be away, then your best option is to either figure out who can cover for them or consider postponing the process. Scheduling interviews without having adequate time to make a hiring decision drags out the timeline, which risks losing the potential hire to a competitor. Preparing ahead of time will prevent hurting the company’s reputation and encourage applicants to apply for future openings. Clarifying the internal process will help your existing staff continue to be productive and keep new employees from dropping off.

If you’re looking for employees, we have them! NESC Staffing has an A+ grade from the Better Business Bureau, was awarded by Forbes as America’s Best Recruiting and Temporary Staffing Firm, and has successfully put people to work since 1984. You can see our specialties at nesc.com.

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