December is an interesting time when it comes to recruiting staff; with offices starting to wind down for the Christmas period, hiring activities can often be put on the backburner until the New Year.

However, staying focused on your recruitment throughout December can put you ahead of competing businesses when January rolls around. Even if your company has less vacancies to recruit for at this time of year, there are a number of things you can do to ensure you hit the ground running in 2019.

What steps can you take in December to get ahead of your competitors and make sure that your recruitment efforts don’t slow down before Christmas?

 

1. Build your talent pool

There’s a misconception in the recruitment industry that candidates aren’t as active in December. However, we’re living in the age of the internet and social media where users are active 24/7 and information is easily accessible.

December is a time of reflection, where people consider the changes they could make over the next year; this might include a potential change in career. Advertising your vacancy in December is a good way of capturing the attention of those looking for a potential new role going into 2019.

The end of the year is also a good time to target passive candidates as well as those actively searching for a new role. By approaching candidates on LinkedIn and sharing your roles on Facebook, you can still position your company at the forefront of people’s minds if they do decide to look for a new challenge in January.

 

2. Focus on your 2019 goals

Don’t wait until January to think about what you want to achieve over the next year; get a plan in place before Christmas so you can hit the ground running when you return from your break.

For example, if you’re looking at introducing an ATS to your recruitment process next year, consider booking in demos with suppliers in December so you can line up your implementation for the New Year. Additionally, if you know your hiring requirements will be great in 2019, you should consider securing your advertising credits now as most are valid for 12 months and you may even get a bulk discount!

 

3. Generate some great recruitment marketing content

December is usually a hive of activity within offices; whether you’re celebrating your Christmas party, decorating your workspace or providing your team with some well-deserved gifts, it’s a great time to show the world what the culture at your company is all about!

Work alongside your marketing team to capture what life is like at your company and give a bit more attention to your employer branding efforts this December. Take and share photos, encourage employee-driven content and focus on developing your careers site to give your recruitment the best possible start in the New Year.

 

4. Get your interviews booked in ASAP

If you need to book in an interview with a candidate, it might be tempting to schedule it for the beginning of January. However, if possible, you should try and get it booked in before the Christmas break.

Holding your interviews before Christmas will allow you to meet candidates before they interview for any other companies, who may be pushing interviews out until January. This will allow you to have the first pick of candidates; this is especially important for niche roles where your talent pool is likely to be smaller.

 

5. Audit your candidate journey

If you don’t have many vacancies this December but know recruitment will be busy next year, this is the perfect opportunity to step back and assess your candidate experience and application journey.

What do jobseekers think when looking at your careers site? How easy is it for someone to apply for one of your vacancies?

You should aim to keep things as simple and streamlined as possible to make it easy for candidates to apply for your roles. Make small changes now to ensure that your application process is completely seamless in the New Year.

If you need some tips on providing a better candidate journey, download our eBook, Improving the Candidate Experience.

 

Need some help getting recruitment-ready for 2019? Get in touch with our team today.