For a lot of companies, the end of the year can be a bit nerve racking. You have numbers to hit, hiring goals to reach before the year closes. And it is when companies begin to determine the upcoming year’s revenue goals and headcount, and to make things complicated this is a period that is tied up into a hectic period of vacation, outside of work obligations, and overall distractions.
That being said, here’s what you can do to make sure that you hit those Q4 hiring goals.
- Align you budget with your hiring
Any budget you have left over for the end of the year should be first used to invest in ways that lift your bottom line. Before spending it only things like lavish company outings and holiday parties, first look to invest in ways that help you in the long term – whether its recruitment marketing efforts such as sponsored pay per click ads on LinkedIn and Google.
Or even getting real creative with some advertising on high traffic areas like the subway or in coffee shops.
Or you can augment your needs with short term full service recruitment solutions to ramp up quickly and hit those goals fast.
While those ‘funny money’ things are certainly important and are necessary to have as rewards for your hardworking team, maybe skip out on the limos and $100 dollar champagne bottles, if you are serious about hitting your goals.
- Recruit Recent Grads
This group isn’t always the first that comes to mind when you think of entry level talent. But up to one third of college students graduate at the end of the fall semester. These young professionals will be home for the holidays in November and December and will be getting an abrupt look at what life looks like post-graduation… sitting in their old bedroom with little to do, other than having to answer they’re parents on their whereabouts.
Yeah…They’re going to want to join the work force quickly and start the next step in their lives as soon as they can. They’re an easy target to get excited about a new job.
- Think like a Candidate
A lot of candidates have a perception that companies aren’t hiring at this time of year, and it is better to wait until the start of January to begin their job search, but if you hit them with the right message at the right time – it can prove to be very effective.
Here’s some ideas on what to include in your messaging.
– Why wait for that New Year’s resolution? You’re going to be looking anyway…the longer you wait the more competition there is going to be. So get ramped up before the new year and start your 2018 with a huge bang.
– Let them know that holiday season equals excuse season. It’s an easy time of the year for you to dip out of the office for a phone or in person interview without having to make up extravagant excuses. Come the start of Q1, employees are expected to be locked in and refocused after the holidays and it’s a little bit more difficult to get out of the office.
– Talk about money. Q4 is when candidates give real consideration about their salary – if they’re expecting an end of the year raise, or promotion and they don’t get it, or it’s not what they expected, it could be the flip of a switch that they need to make a move. They may also be waiting for their end of year payouts and bonuses and once they get that, they’re ready to move onto another opportunity.
The end of the year and the holidays are coming up quick and that requires planning and strategizing, there is no time to waste!
