6 Reasons to Work with a 3rd Party Recruiter This December

As we continue into the holiday season, many companies are winding down for the year – wrapping up projects, waiting on new budgets and giving employees ample time off to spend with their families. This also means that many companies have stopped hiring for the year, waiting until January to start up again.

Candidates, on the other hand, usually start thinking about their career goals near the end of the year, as they reflect on how the past year has gone and set goals for the new year. However, they want to keep a low profile in their search and don’t see many opportunities that match exactly what they’re looking for – so they reach out to 3rd party recruiters to help them find their perfect job.

This presents a unique advantage to companies thatare working with 3rd party recruiters during the slow season. Not only do they have a lot less hiring competition than usual, they also have access to active and passive talent that nobody else even knows exists.
So, instead of shutting down your recruitment program for the remainder of the year, perhaps you should consider the benefits of using a 3rd party recruiter this December:

1. Stand out. With a 3rd party recruiter advocating to candidates on your company’s behalf, and a lot less noise coming from other recruiters, you can stand out as an employer of choice for candidates who may not have heard of your company. With less recruiters reaching out to them during the slow season, they will be more receptive to exploring different kinds of opportunities.
2. Get first choice of top candidates. If you’re hiring when nobody else is, you will get the first pick of the top candidates in your recruiter’s database. With little competition in the way of job offers, it’s more likely that you’ll be able to close more of your offers.
3. Hire faster. Candidates will have more time to interview during the holiday season, when work is slow and they have ample time off, and they’re motivated to find a new job before the new year. If your team can reciprocate, you could drastically reduce your time-to-hire.
4. Build strategic relationships. Because December is a slower time of year, you can spend time working with 3rd party recruiters to build strategic relationships. Review your hiring goals, share your employer brand and company culture, and really help them understand what you look for in candidates. When things get busy in January, you’ll be glad you did.
5. Focus on more strategic initiatives. Instead of spending all your time on recruiting in December, you can focus on other key initiatives, like employee retention, employer branding or finally building that mobile-optimized career site.
6. Take some time off. You work hard all year and probably haven’t made much of dent in all that vacation time you’ve earned – so go ahead and take some time to yourself this December – your recruitment is in good hands.

Don’t let this golden opportunity pass you by, and you will be ahead of the game when everyone else is struggling to restart their hiring programs in January.