5 Tips to Keep Your Hiring Pipeline Full Through the Holidays

There’s really not a lot of competition around this time of year. Most people slow down their business strategies in favor of holiday vacations and other activities. If you’re in a position where recruiting needs to be a focus for you this holiday season, there are a few things you can do in order to make sure your hiring pipeline stays full.

The holidays are full of networking opportunities, parties, and free-time for those in the business world, making it the perfect time to make the right recruiting connections.

In addition, the holidays are a time when people are home with their families, reflecting on the previous year and what they want in the year to come. Because of this mindset, passive candidates might be more likely to respond positively to recruiting efforts.

Use holiday parties as networking opportunities.

Just over 80 percent of companies are planning to have a holiday party, according to a survey released by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Not only are the hosting holiday parties, but 13 percent say this is there first time hosting a party in one or more years.

Recruiters work with every department, including many people outside of their immediate organization. For them, these statistics mean a full social calendar for their 2015 holiday season.

If you’re attending several holiday parties this year, use the opportunity to network with other people you haven’t met before. You never know who is looking for a new position, and who might be the perfect fit for the one you currently have open.

Take advantage of potential candidates’ schedule flexibility.

While the calendar is full with social activities and personal events over the holidays, business obligations tend to slow down in November and December.

This is a good thing for recruiters who often have a hard time scheduling interview times with candidates who are currently employed or perhaps passive in their job search. During this holiday season take advantage of the relaxed calendar and multiple days off when scheduling both phone and in-person interviews.

Forecast future talent needs with the data you’ve collected this year.

Only 24 percent of recruiters think they make good use of the data at their disposal, Jibe reported. The holidays are a good time to make up for this capability gap.

Use the slower business season to take a look at your hiring for the past year, and use data to better understand your hiring needs for 2016. If you’re looking at your budget in particular, check out our Recruiting Leader’s Guide to Direct Hire Agency Planning.