Why employers should kick-start recruitment in December

As employers around the country prepare to wind down their recruitment functions in the lead-up to Christmas, it’s a sad fact that many of them are missing out on a golden opportunity to access top quality candidates looking for a change of direction.

The truth is that December’s charms in the office extend far beyond Christmas parties and Secret Santa gifts.  The last weeks of the year are often the perfect time to nab a star recruit.

Managing Director of Employment Office, Tudor Marsden-Huggins, says there are a variety of compelling reasons for companies to recruit at year’s end.

“Job advertising hits a real low in December, with many businesses winding down their recruitment strategy, and planning to ramp things up again in January.  It’s a common misconception that job seekers aren’t in the market in December, however the opposite is actually true.

“Recruiting in December takes advantage of the fact that many top performers have a certain amount of down-time in in the last weeks of the year, whether that’s through taking annual leave or due to a decreased pre-Christmas workload,” he said.

By recruiting in December, employers are also more likely to have top candidates to themselves.  The misconception that candidates aren’t in the market for a new job at that time means competition is significantly reduced.

“The best time to recruit is when others are idle and when candidates are most receptive to a discussion about changing jobs.  This is even more important for smaller businesses who struggle to succeed when recruiting alongside high-profile competitors.

“A decade ago, the festive season was a dead period for recruiting, mostly because job advertising in newspapers was significantly reduced until the end of January.  The introduction of online job boards, and more recently, the move toward smartphone and tablet applications has meant December is no longer the wasteland it once was for jobseekers.

“Candidates are now checking job boards daily and receiving job notifications via email, Facebook and Twitter, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.  With ads appearing on job boards for up to 28 days, candidates can check for job opportunities at their leisure, including during annual leave.  It’s easy to send out your CV using Cloud-based software, so the previous drawbacks associated with recruiting during the Christmas/New Year period, such as being away from a computer, or not having access to job ads in your local paper, are greatly diminished,” Marsden-Huggins said.

There are other factors at play for candidates which may also provide some extra incentive to look out for new career opportunities in December.

“At the end of the year, many top performers take time to re-evaluate their current work and life situation and plan for the future.  Some may be wanting to get started early on a new year’s resolution, or perhaps the effect Christmas shopping and travel has had on their finances has made them look into a better salary.

“Whatever the candidate’s motivation, it’s clear that even though other areas of your business may be slowing down, December is definitely not a time to put your recruitment function on hold.  If you run a fast, clean hiring process, you can be making job offers before your competitors have even published their job ads in January,” Marsden-Huggins said.