When is the Best Time of Year to Hire?
New Year Hiring Surge
There is a long-standing question in many people’s minds about the best time of year to make new hires. This has been talked about for many decades, and there is a wide range of opinions on the topic.
To be honest, this is mostly written about from the perspective of people looking for work rather than from the perspective of employers, but both work. Some say that the months leading up to summer (March, April, and May) is a good time because with people going on summer vacations it’s harder to get a hiring committee and key decision-makers together, so they want to wrap it up before then.
Others note that September and October are also good months. If hiring was slow during the summer, then there may be a backlog of positions to fill, and many companies want to get it done before the holidays. Starting in November, more companies are likely to start putting of hires until after the New Year begins.
Take Advantage of the New Year Hiring Surge
From an employer’s perspective, hiring people in January (and February) makes a lot of sense. Many companies will receive their new hiring budgets at the start of a new calendar year and are ready to hit the ground running by the second week of January, if not sooner.
There are also lots of people who want to switch jobs and find a new place of employment to make a fresh start, but also want to finish out the calendar year in their current position in order to use up vacation, get holiday pay, and perhaps receive an end-of-year bonus as well.
You can bet that in the first couple weeks of January after everyone’s back from the holiday break, the hiring frenzy begins. Is your company ready to ride the wave of the New Year hiring surge?
Getting Ready for the New Year Hiring Surge
There are a number of things you can do to make sure your company is ready for the New Year hiring surge. Buckle down and do the following five things between now and the end of the first week of January:
1. Review your hiring efforts during the previous year – does your hiring process need tweaking?
2. Proactively look forward to determine your hiring needs.
3. Are there improvements or upgrades you can make to your employment brand?
4. Review and update all the job descriptions for which you need to make hires.
5. Set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely) hiring goals for the New Year.
There are additional benefits of tapping into the New Year hiring surge. You want to hire what we call A-Players, right? These are the best of the best. Now, think about the person who has decided they want to get a new job early in the New Year. In order to achieve this, it means they’ve taken valuable time during the hustle and bustle of the holidays to get their resume and references in order – that’s already a good sign of commitment, dedication, and diligence.
Although even thinking about recruiting and hiring when you’re in the midst of the holiday season feels impossible, you can see the many advantages you stand to gain by making it happen. The New Year hiring surge has begun – are you ready for it? If you need help, you can always turn to PainLessHire – our mission is to help you find and hire the A-players that will take your business to the next level. Contact us today!