Recruiting Over Christmas.

​Christmas is a time for eating too much and enjoying ourselves with our family and friends; it has never been a time for starting a recruitment drive. But rather than slowing down, it is fast becoming a gold mine for those professionals who plough through and keep recruiting at Christmas.

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This applies to all types of business. Powerhouses like Amazon and John Lewis will have already planned their Christmas hiring long before most of us have even considered our first mince pie, there are many reasons to keep up the recruitment mentality moving into the holiday season.

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It might sound surprising to hear that candidates are interested in changing jobs at this time of the year but it’s the truth. Many candidates start looking for their next challenge in December! So if you have a ‘Recruitment Freeze’ before the new year starts you could be missing out on unearthed talent. While you may be faced with a greater influx of candidates on the market in January, you will also be faced with other businesses competing for them.

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Access the full talent pool

Less employers recruit this side of Christmas, a well-timed recruitment drive will mean you have access to a full pool of candidates, with the potentially to take your pick without the added risk of losing the candidate to other hungry employers or having to make more costly counter offers.

It’s a no-brainer really, start recruiting now. January is often when targets are introduced, so it pays to be prepared in readiness for new projects and business. Mentally, January is often considered to be a bit of a miserable month, candidates are likely to be more attracted by the thought of moving before Christmas as they’re most likely in a better frame of mind.

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Get ahead of the game

One of the biggest benefits to ramping up your recruitment in December is that you will be a recruitment renegade. A lot of your usual competition will be waiting to get started in January. Others might be unable to push recruitment due to having spent budgets earlier in the year.

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It is a bit strange to view December as full of recruitment potential but give it a go. Then, while others are busy planning what to wear to the Christmas party, you will be meeting with top candidates and planning your recruitment strategy to get ahead for the next year.

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So if you know you need to recruit, do it now while it’s an employer’s market – take advantage of the end of year lull, the ideal candidate may be only a few CVs away.

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