Breaking the Holiday Hiring Myth
Breaking the Holiday Hiring Myth
Why December 2015 could be one of the hottest months yet for hiring.
People love to say that December is a slow month for hiring. With the holidays happening and the fiscal year winding down, it seems like it could certainly be a down time to bring on new employees.
But hiring managers and recruiters across the country tell a different story. The 4th quarter of 2015 has been particularly strong, with hiring numbers even higher than this time last year. The nation continues to climb out of the recession and next year’s hiring forecast should keep employment numbers rising through the end of the year and into the 1st quarter of 2016.
And actually, this follows a trend that hiring managers and candidates have seen for a few years now. The 4th quarter annually has had the highest hiring numbers of any season, closely followed by Q1. So as the year winds down and the next one gears up, we’ve historically seen hiring stay hot.
The reason for the hiring boost is simple; managers have their budgets approved for the upcoming year and have the clearance to bring on additional staff. This is also when companies reassess their needs at the executive level and bring on the additional leadership to elevate their organization for the next year.
It’s not just the hiring predictions that look promising either; the weather forecasts have it staying temperate throughout the next few weeks. That may not seem too important to job seekers, but analysts say inclement weather can be a serious factor in hiring slow downs. Last year during the winter, the wide-ranging snowstorms played a big part in one of the slowest hiring times that the country has seen since the great recession. With the forecast looking bright for the next month or so, we should see employment and hiring numbers stay strong until the spring.
If companies do see the hiring process slow down during December, it’s certainly not due to a lack of interest from candidates. The problem typically lies in the decision makers being unavailable for the hiring process. Bringing a new executive into a company can be a lengthy endeavor that includes multiple interviews, lunches, reviews and phone calls, and when a few of the necessary people are out during the holidays, it can bring this process to a halt.
Skype interviews and phone conferences aren’t ideal for the hiring process, but if you drag your feet, you can run the risk of missing out on top candidates due to the distraction of the holidays. If those tactics won’t work for your organization, try to be flexible with interview times to make sure you get the meetings in without multi-week breaks.
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t downshift your hiring efforts just because there will be a few days off this time of year. Candidates are still out there in full-force, and waiting until Q1 could mean missing out on an ideal leader for your company. There are multiple factors that are coming together to make this next month a great one for both candidates and hiring companies, so make sure to keep focused during the next few weeks so you don’t miss out while waiting for the calendar to turn.
