We get it, it can be tempting to wait till the New Year to make any hiring decisions or recruit for your vacancies, but wouldn’t it be nice to know that all the hard yards are done and you can enjoy your Christmas break knowing that it’s full steam ahead in January? Many assume that things are winding down as we get closer to Christmas, or the logistics of a new hire are going to be too hard to navigate. However, anyone who works in recruitment can tell you this is definitely not the case!
Here are the top reasons why the “silly season” is a great time to hire!
Free Time:
You might be flat out at work in a mad dash to get everything taken care of before you get that well deserved break, but not everyone is busy at this time of year. Many potential candidates tend to have more downtime to look at new opportunities during the holiday season. A lot of temporary or fixed-term assignments might be coming to an end, but the looming cost of the Christmas and New Year period means that a lot of candidates are suddenly a lot more motivated and free to find new employment opportunities.
First Impressions:
Being the newbie in an organisation can be daunting, and as a result it can take some time for people to come out of their shell. The great thing about having a new staff member come on board in December is that they are joining at a time where there is a lot more natural social interaction between staff with Christmas parties, events and generally a more relaxed feel around the office.
New Year’s Resolutions:
As the prospect of another year in the same role or with the same organisation starts to sound less and less appealing, we are often approached by candidates who have decided it’s time to start looking elsewhere. Catch them before they find work elsewhere!
Get the pick of the bunch:
Currently for many sectors in Wellington and nationwide, it is a candidate tight market. Beat your competitors to that star candidate! If you wait until the New Year, you might find yourself competing with other organisations’ job offers, which may in turn can mean your offer may suddenly have to increase in order to be more attractive.
The Great Delay:
Waiting until January to start interviewing or advertising can add a whole lot of unnecessary time to the recruitment process and you risk losing good candidates who might get cold feet and decide to stay where they are, or get snapped up by someone else who can offer them a job right now. It’s also a lot easier for your preferred candidate to have part of their notice period fall during the Christmas and New Year holidays and be ready to go in early January, rather than potentially waiting until February or March to work out their notice period.
The Technology Factor:
Yes people do traditionally head away for some or all of the holiday season, but with today’s technology, searching and applying for jobs on mobile devices such as iPad’s and mobile phones is as easy as clicking of a couple of buttons and can be done from anywhere.
Let Recruiters Carry the Load:
You might be heading off for three weeks of sun, BBQ’s and beaches, but chances are your recruiter is not! It’s a busy time of year for us so that means that we can still assist with your recruitment needs throughout the holidays while you take it easy!
So don’t delay, get the ball rolling to find your stand out candidate these summer holidays!
Best wishes,
Nikki and Kirsty
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