For many employers, the arrival of the holidays means it’s time to ramp up recruiting and prepare for busier times. While that might require some recruiters to hire fast, they’ll also need to hire well.
Because when it comes to recruiting, even when it’s seasonal, the last thing you want to do is make rash decisions. Your seasonal employees may be temporary, but the impression they leave on your customers is not. So how can employers recruit seasonal candidates while avoiding bad hiring choices for their brand?
Start planning for your holiday recruiting early.
That’s right. It’s as simple as choosing to prepare and avoiding procrastination. Not only will you beat “the rush,” you’ll have the opportunity to fully engage with your prospects and ensure they are the right fit for your brand (even if it’s only short-term).
Whether you're in the food, hospitality, shipping, customer service or entertainment industry, we’ve put together a list of tips to help you strengthen your seasonal recruiting.
Don’t procrastinate. You’re not the only employer looking to hire seasonal talent. So if you wait too long, you’re probably too late. By putting off your seasonal recruiting, you could miss out on reaching the best candidates.
If you’re using a previously written job posting, make sure it’s accurate and up to date. Change the title to reflect that it’s seasonal; choose job type categories that relate to seasonal or temporary employment; and add appropriate holiday or seasonal hiring phrases as tags. When it comes to the body of the posting, you might consider shadowing a current employee in the position to get a genuine perspective before writing. By communicating your expectations clearly, you can more effectively reach candidates looking for seasonal work and help reduce turnover later in the season.
Deciphering which channels are best for tapping seasonal talent is really dependent upon your current recruiting mediums. Whether you rely on a career site, display ads, niche boards, college recruiting or referrals. Identify which channels are the most successful for reaching seasonal job seekers and invest your budget dollars accordingly.
If your organization hires more than a handful of seasonal workers each year, you could benefit from investing in software that helps recruiters organize their candidate pipeline. A talent community helps recruiters collect and manage candidates so they can keep in touch with last year’s seasonal hires and attract them back year after year. And possibly leverage them for referrals in the future.
You may have several temporary employees who plan on returning next season. Make these candidates your first choice when this time comes around again next year. Doing so can help streamline your hiring for the next holiday season while allowing you to focus on recruiting more quality candidates like them.
The holiday season doesn’t have to be a stressful time for your recruiting. By preparing yourself in advance and focusing your efforts on the right channels, you can guarantee a brighter holiday for you, your seasonal staff and your customers.
