Holiday Recruiting – 5 Things You Need to Know

It’s not too late to get into the holiday recruiting spirit.

Alas, that’s not the same as getting into the holiday spirit – but it’s still worth your time and effort. Why? Contrary to popular wisdom, the holiday season – roughly, from mid-December to mid-January – is a good time to recruit. A lot of web-based applicants slow down their activities, assuming (wrongly, of course) that no one hires during this time. This leaves more time for a recruiter to zero in on top applicants.

So here are a few suggestions for recruiting during the holidays:

• Pay attention to college graduates. Did you know that roughly one-third of all college student graduate in December? Armed with a degree, they’re ready to get a semester ahead of the other two-thirds in the search for jobs.
• Pay attention to foreign candidates. Not everyone thinks of late December/early January as a time for office parties. For much of the world, it’s business as usual, which means qualified candidates will be looking for jobs.
• Pay attention to retail and customer service candidates. More precisely, pay attention to their supervisors. More face-to-face customer action happens during December than any other time during the year, so it’s a great time to find out who the very best retail and customer service performers are.
• Call up those busy candidates. You’ve been wanting to bring them in for an interview, but they are to busy with work, with a project, with their own business, etc. Chances are, they will have some free time over the holidays.
• Send cards. Emails and the occasional call are easily ignored, but most people would feel bad if they didn’t open up a card – especially if it’s hand-addressed. So send those top candidates a card and let them know that you’re still thinking about them. They’ll get the message.

For more recruiting tips and information about recruiting and staffing software, tune into this and other Bond US blogs.