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It’s very common that job seekers put their searches on hold over the Christmas period and this could be for a number of reasons; wanting to spend more time with loved ones, busy with festive activities or maybe they think employers won’t be looking for staff around this time. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! Many companies still recruit around the festive period, companies you could be missing out on if you stop your search! Businesses still have hiring budget to spend Many people assume that hiring budgets will be drained by the end of the year and that they should wait until the new year to start their job hunt. The truth is departments budget for each quarter and more often than not – they are in a position to take on new starters! You can be ready to start in January If you are putting off your job search until January – you might want to re-evaluate your decision. January can be a busy time if year for many companies and therefore managers may struggle to find time to fit in interviews and training for new hires. Where-as the end of the year can be a quieter time making it easier for departments to think about their recruitment plan. You can beat your competition If you wait until January to start your job hunt – along with everyone else, your CV and application will be joining the plethora of other applications on the hiring managers’ desk. Use the myth that ‘hiring stops around December’ to your advantage! Whilst everyone else waits to start their job search in January, start yours in early December or even before so that you can be trained and ready to go in January with the rest of the work force! If you’re looking to start your job search now, click here to see how we could help you!
The recruitment industry traditionally tends to slow down around December and Christmas time. People get merrier and there are less candidates and roles to recruit for. But there are still plenty of productive things recruiters can be doing during the festive month! Check out our list here… Preparing for January January is arguably the best time of the year to recruit. The whole ‘new year, new me’ vibe that hits the nation can be used to your advantage. You don’t want to let such a crucial month slip by, so you need to be heading into the office in January ready and rearing to recruit. Things to help you prepare: Have you got the go-ahead from the decision makers? Are your adverts written and ready to be posted? Are you able to get adverts out first thing? Or can this process be automated? Have you got time carved out to go through the floods of applications you will be receiving? Recruiting Just because everyone else is slowing their recruitment down, doesn’t mean you should be. In fact, you should use this to your advantage and get ahead of your competition. You might not have enough time to start a newbie until January – but that doesn’t mean you can’t start looking and interviewing! Not panic-hiring You definitely do not want to rush the recruitment and hiring process. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t hire before Christmas – it can actually be quite nice (for the candidate and you) to start them right after the Christmas break. Rushing your recruitment and hiring process could cost you even more time and money. Touch base with candidates It’s doesn’t matter what stage a candidate is at in your hiring process (from pre-interview to accepted job offer) you should definitely touch base with them at least once before the Christmas break. Touching base with candidates with a friendly and fun text/email is a great way of reminding them why they want to join/have joined your company! Remember your current employees The infamous ‘new year, new me’ attitude could also have a negative effect on your company. Do you think you’ll lose candidates? It’s possible! It can happen to anyone. Use the festive period to remind your current employees exactly why they love working with you! Have fun, spread some cheer and reward your current employees! If you are struggling to find candidates, please click here to find your local branch and give us a call! We're happy to help!
So, Christmas is just around the corner and you’re looking for a new role, right? We want to make sure that you receive an offer for most (if not all) of the jobs you go for, so we have put together our top 5 tips for you to follow! Start applying early When looking for a Christmas role it is crucial that you start applying early. Many companies will start advertising their seasonal vacancies as early as September. The applying and hiring process can take quite a while so it is important that you start looking for Christmas jobs as soon as possible. Tailor your CV Your CV should be slightly different for each application you send off. This is due to different companies having different requirements and expectations. It can be very useful to look at the job description on the advert and match your CV to the specific requirements set by the company. Also consider the transferable skills you will need to cope with the extra demand when working during busy times. These are skills such as: Patience Time management The ability to problem solve Check out our blog on how to tailor your CV! Know where to look Knowing what companies to apply to plays a huge part in your process. Think about what kinds of industries will be more in demand than others, for example: Retail industry Hospitality industry Industrial / Warehouse industry Transport / Delivery industry Healthcare industry Use our job searching page to find your Christmas job in these industries now! Contacts and connections Think about your previous employment or any relevant connections you could reach out to in order to help you with your job search. Maybe your retail job from years ago need extra staff? Or your ex-colleague knows of a Christmas temp role at their company! Do your research! Even if you have the right skills and experience for the job, it doesn’t mean that you’ll get it if you don’t interview well or know anything about the company! So, take an hour before your interview to run through the company website and see what their mission is. If they have a ‘meet the team’ page, you might be able to learn some fun facts about your interviewer or people in the Management team! If you want to find out more about how we can assist you within your job search, please click here to find out your local branch and give them a call!