As we approach the festive season, the hiring landscape experiences its own set of dynamics. For employers and job seekers, this period presents unique opportunities. Here are some practical tips for navigating the holiday hiring season.
For employers:
Identify Seasonal Needs: Pinpoint areas in your business that require additional support during the holiday rush. Plan to ensure you meet the increased demand with a well-prepared team.
Efficient Hiring Process: Acknowledge the limited availability of job seekers during the holidays. Streamline your hiring process to make it quick and effective, respecting their time while securing the best talent promptly. If there are people in charge of the process on holiday to avoid delays notify the candidates of the circumstances.
Smooth Onboarding: For those joining during this season, ensure a seamless onboarding process. Set them up for success by integrating them into the team and emphasizing the importance of their role.
Evaluate skill sets: Look into your current team, are there any skill gaps that could benefit from being filled out with a new hire? Focus on finding key skills to fit into the position and communicate them in the job description.
For candidates:
Update your CV: While applying for jobs get your CV up to date with new skills, jobs and companies before sending applications going into the new year.
Highlight Relevant Skills: Tailor your resume to emphasize skills that are particularly valuable to the role. Your CV and cover letter must be fully relevant to the job you are applying to making you a strong relevant candidate. You may have all the skills but unless you showcase them on paper you are lowering your chances of an interview.
Flexible Availability: Communicate your availability. If you would rather not start a role until the new year make sure to communicate that. Christmas and New Year come with a lot of holidays and all parties must be aware of each other’s leave and unavailability during the holiday season.
Reach out: Use the time to reach out to specialists for any upcoming roles. This keeps you ahead of other candidates and allows you to communicate personally with someone responsible for the hiring process.
Time to reflect: Use the downtime to reflect on your current role and responsibilities and think about what you’re looking for from your employer in 2024. Assess whether you feel this can be achieved with your current company and if not, it could be time for a move.
Get your LI profile up to date: Renew your photo (before the Christmas dinners, baileys, port and cheese boards catch up with you)! But on a serious note, you may have a fantastic CV but companies that use LinkedIn Recruiter will see your profile and think you are still the same fresh graduate with no industry experience if your profile is not up to date!
General tips:
Maintain Professionalism: While the holiday season brings a festive atmosphere, maintain a professional approach throughout the hiring process. Treat it with the same level of dedication and respect as any other time of the year.
Express Enthusiasm: Showcase your enthusiasm for the role and the company. Employers appreciate candidates who bring positive energy, especially during the festive season.
Remember, a strategic approach to the holiday hiring season can be beneficial for both employers and job seekers. By combining a festive spirit with a focused strategy, businesses and professionals can make the most of this unique time.