The Myth About Holiday Hiring

There is a common misconception that hiring slows down during November and December. If anything, this is when you should ramp up your efforts to find great candidates. There are several reasons for this. 

• Jobs must still be filled. Unfilled positions create stress and undue hardship on existing employees, hurt morale and can result in lost customers. Don’t kid yourself that unfilled positions are not costing you money. This is especially true if the position is one of billable hours, every day that goes by the organization is losing money.  There are many formulas online that can help you figure out what an unfilled position is costing you. Or better yet, ask your HR department. If they don’t know, shouldn’t they? 
• Brand recognition. Utilizing classified ads during the holidays builds brand recognition. A cardinal rule of advertising says a potential customer needs to see an ad seven times or more before they buy. So, unless you are Pepsi or Disney, it would stand to reason that a potential candidate may need to see your ad seven times before they apply or feel comfortable with your organization.
• Build your farm team. Even if you don’t have an open position, this is the time to reach out to future candidates and build your bank of potential employees. That way, if a current employee gets on the disabled list or terminated, you can call someone up! 
• Use this time to be creative. Instead of utilizing the same old job description with the famous “other duties as assigned” bullet point, say something like: “Don’t send a resume just yet. Send us an email and tell us why you would be good for this position.”  Or answer these three questions: What are you most proud of professionally? How do you stay up on your industry – what books, periodicals and websites do you follow? What would your mom say is your biggest weakness? 
• Job seekers who apply are truly interested in your position. The lazy ones figure they will wait till the beginning of the new year. You can even say something like, “A lot of people wait till after the new year to look for a job. If you apply, we know you are interested. Send us your resume and beat out your competition!”
• Is your competition hiring? Maybe they believe in the myth. Wouldn’t you want your positions front and center?  Why wait till January when everyone is posting ads because they think no one looks for a position over the holidays?

This is no time to park your recruiting efforts! Looking to post a job on BioSpace this holiday season? Click here to contact your BioSpace sales rep today!