Why December is One of the Best Times to Recruit
During this festive time, year-end functions and holiday parties are the order of the day. However, that doesn’t mean that recruitment should take a backseat.
In this last stretch of the year, as people focus on New Year’s resolutions, there is an increase in jobseekers looking to make a fresh start. It may be employees who want to move on to greener pastures or unemployed people seeking to make a change in the New Year. Whatever the catalyst, the result is a prime opportunity for recruiters to up their game.
Don’t succumb to the common misperception that December is not ideal for recruiting. The holiday season can be an ideal window for you to find and hire new employees to contribute to your growth and success in the coming year.
Every December, there’s a positive ratio between openings and applicants
Even with the traditional December slowdown in job postings, recruiters must realize that traditionally the number of available job seekers does not decrease significantly from the monthly average. This means that routinely there is ample supply and lower competition for the available talent every December.
Many firms literally do not hire during December
Some firms (especially tech firms) completely shut down operations during the last two weeks of the year. Many other organizations place a complete hiring freeze during December because they have exhausted their headcount until January. Other major companies like Google, Meta, and HP simply stop recruiting because their hiring managers independently choose not to be available during the holidays.
End-of-the-year thinking forces many employees to rethink their future
This rethinking happens at the end of every year. And as part of that reassessment, the best prospects are invariably rethinking whether they want to spend another year in their current job, company, or industry.
A low December workload makes recruiting targets easier to contact
This is due to exhaustion, holiday events, and the year-end push to use up vacation time. Often almost no important work is being done. With a low workload, individuals have more time to answer recruiter inquiries and for a job search.
Almost everyone is active on social media at year’s end
Almost everyone is highly active on social media around the holidays. Your employees will also have an improved chance of seeing, reading, and even responding to your recruiting messages.
If you recruit globally, realize that not everyone celebrates the December holidays
You should take a step back and remind yourself that Christmas is primarily a Western and Christian holiday. So if you recruit globally, take advantage of the fact that many global prospects will be available for job search during December because they are not distracted by Christmas activities.
If you only do one thing – post a few of your hard-to-fill jobs in early December. And then compare the quality and the volume of the applicants that you get. Compared to another month like August. And if you find an increase in quality applicants and a decrease in competition for those candidates. Develop a proactive plan for recruiting during the rest of the month.
By Jennetta Williams