Q4 Recruiting Strategies – Hire Right and Hire Right Now
We bet you thought you were going to be able to sit back and take a moment between the rush of back-to-school and the launch of the holiday season… remember that the beginning of Q4 is the perfect time to look ahead to the remainder of the year and establish your goals for starting the next one. This should include evaluating which roles you can fill now to set yourself up for success during the holidays and into the new year.
It’s easy to get caught up in winding down but remember, “…if a job is open and companies are looking to hire soon, there is no slow period.”
In fact, at a time when most executive teams are meeting to discuss strategy for the following year, end of Q3 should be when organizations start to get an idea of what’s to come and capitalize on a slightly slower market to scoop up talent that will make a big impact in the not-so-distant future.
“As organizations actively engage in strategic planning in the latter part of the year, CEOs and other executives must be certain that recruiting leaders are deeply involved in the process. In addition to ensuring full alignment on the organization’s goals and objectives, leaders must assess the external and candidate experience factors that will impact the organization’s efforts.”
Recognizing that the new year is often prime time for companies to make bold changes, staffing-up now can make any larger-than-normal transitions unroll more smoothly in Q1.
Something else to consider that is unique to this moment – several of the unusual trends we saw because of the pandemic have slowed or ceased entirely. This includes the practice of professionals constantly seeking the next best thing. Stability is a priority and that means candidates who may have been chronically ‘looking’ for a new role in years past are now more likely to stay put. Getting a jump on hiring now will allow your organization to take the extra time it may require to find the right fit. “…rampant turnover and job hopping (which we dubbed “the Great Reshuffling”) is over. The quits rate is back to pre-pandemic levels.”
Get a head start to combat holiday lags
“The end-of-year holidays may cause slower responses from candidates in general; avoid reaching out to any candidates on major holidays, and once mid-December hits, potentially wait until the new year to engage new candidates.”
Launching a hiring blitz in January will no doubt be too late in many cases and the looming holiday’s mean that response times – and more importantly, motivation to leave right before bonus season – will soon affect many top candidate’s decision making.
Embracing early fall as a time to build your team and fill-in the gaps means that new hires will be part of the 2025 planning process; giving your organization a fresh perspective and helping new employees feel invested in the plan going forward.
Happy New Year hiring tips
As you evaluate your hiring needs this fall, consider a few of the following tips to ensure you are reaching the best candidates for your organization:
- Slightly modify the messaging on your job announcements to emphasize urgency. This will motivate candidates to apply for your opportunities first, rather than putting them at the bottom of their list of jobs to apply for
- Be sure you are making it easy for the candidates to apply through a mobile ready platform
- Once you receive resumes, remember to reply to them in a timely manner so you don’t lose candidates
- Take extra time to make your candidate’s journey with you impactful, as they will be your best advocates in the future
The early bird gets the worm
For the last few years, while there have been challenges in recruiting, the size of the candidate pool hasn’t been at the top of the list. Now, there’s a shift coming. What does that mean for you? Time is of the essence – meaning that giving your organization plenty of it will pay-off big time.
“The pace of labor force growth will also slow, making it more difficult to find qualified candidates.”
Working with TZR to manage the fall hiring process and holiday planning can help your organization strategize the best timeline to get in touch with quality candidates who are ready to make a change.
Whether it’s filling one or two key positions that will start making an impact in Q4 or building out a new team that will serve a vital role come January 1, we are here to make your end-of-year hiring seamless and successful.
