Hiring for Christmas: be a recruitment reindeer, not just a donkey

Hiring for Christmas is a challenge all of its own. While people are busy buying gifts or going to parties, recruiters get stuck with possibly the biggest rush of the year.

A few tweaks to your recruitment strategy will help you to move forward with confidence to meet the Christmas demand head-on.

Here’s how you can grow from a regular hiring donkey into a glistening recruitment reindeer.

Start preparing early

Get yourself set up well before the rush begins to make sure you meet your hiring quota.

Depending on your industry, the rush will start at a different time; in retail, the rush can begin at the start of December, while hospitality and transport will peak mid-to-late December.

Take stock of your financial and human resources before you start your hiring campaign to make sure your plan is achievable.

Things tend to move slower the closer it gets to Christmas, so think about this when you’re setting timeframes. Also, leave enough time for reference checks, training and onboarding.

When you start your candidate search, begin with the best seasonal candidates from last year as they’ll come in with some existing knowledge.

Once you’ve looked in the usual places, try less conventional sources — like colleges and universities — that might have a ready-made seasonal workforce.

Get into the Christmas spirit

Everyone’s feeling the magic at this time of year. Make sure this is mirrored in your recruitment strategy.

Revisit your job postings to make sure all the details are accurate and up-to-date. Then, add a festive spin to set your ad apart from your competitors.

Put yourself in your candidate’s shoes and think about the things that are important at this time of year: flexible hours to increase family time, opportunities to climb the career ladder or a christmas bonus. If you can offer any of these, make sure to highlight them in your job ad.  

Make resources scalable

You’re likely to need more resources in the run-up to Christmas than you are for the rest of the year.

To make sure you can adapt efficiently to hiring for Christmas, you need resources that can be scaled up to meet the rush.

By choosing the right candidate management software, you’ll be able to:

• Carry out automated video interviews to narrow down your shortlist efficiently

• Plan, schedule and book interviews automatically

• Dip into a pre-existing talent pool

• Post to all job advertising platforms at the same time

Show staff some love

Christmas can be a time for reflection. At this time of year, your employees might start to evaluate their job opportunities. But, losing staff at this time of year can dent morale and see valuable expertise walk right into the arms of competitors.

In-house recruiters should take steps to ensure their staff are happy to minimise the number of hires they’re required to make. You might choose to give staff a Christmas bonus, or a bumper Christmas party to keep them on side.

Use these simple tips when hiring for Christmas to make sure you’re fully prepared for the festive rush.