There is a chill in the air, fall colors are bursting, and looming deadlines are cut even shorter by upcoming holiday breaks and travel; autumn is here. As many organizations push to meet end-of-year goals—including hiring for a January new hire start—we frequently hear questions about recruiting through the holidays. The good news is that 2022 still has seven valuable recruiting weeks left. Here’s how to make the most of them.

Is October Too Late to Partner With a Search Firm?

The optimal time to start a search was weeks ago, but the second-best time is now. Working with a recruiting firm guarantees a positive outcome with broader outreach, a wider selection of promising candidates, candidate management, and more. And with holiday and travel breaks, the process takes about three months from mid-October. Searches we are kicking off this week are currently scheduled to have an offer out by January 3rd.

What does that mean for you? If you begin your search with a hiring partner in earnest within the next two weeks, you can have a valuable new employee contributing to your team by the end of the first month of 2023.

Should We Bother Interviewing Right Now? And What If We Can’t?

Conducting interviews and reference checks can be a challenge to schedule this time of year, but it’s a challenge that’s worth meeting head-on. Get your team focused and ready. Reach out aggressively and move quickly to interview anyone with potential.

Prepare your staff to finalize interviews before November 21st. It’s best to have offers out the week after Thanksgiving to give candidates sufficient time to review, accept, and give proper notice to their current employers before most organizations close up shop for the year. As you plan, assume that nothing will happen during the following weeks:

  • November 21st-25th
  • December 19th-30th

If interviews before Thanksgiving aren’t possible for your team and an April start date works for you, use now through mid-December to prepare for a robust search in early January by completing administrative tasks like approvals, job descriptions, salary and benefits discussions, etc. By hitting the ground running right after the new year, you’ll take advantage of the many well-qualified people who come onto the job market during that time.

While you will be competing with a surge of hiring activity through January and February, many organizations are slower to start. If you run a fast, clean hiring process, you’ll be making job offers before your competition has even begun.

We Have Been Searching…With No Luck. Now What?

If you have been recruiting on your own for months and aren’t finding the right people or have lost candidates to other offers, there is still time to work with a hiring partner and get a highly qualified employee in by January. Contact us; we’ll offer the support and expert guidance you need to make the best decision possible with the fewest number of headaches for your team.

We Aren’t Budgeted for a Search Firm. Any Advice?

If you aren’t ready to work with a hiring partner, you can still get good results. Our best advice is to be as compelling as possible in your job advertising. It is a tremendously competitive job market—if doing what you’ve always done isn’t working now, it isn’t going to.

  • Offer a competitive salary and be transparent. Many candidates tell us that if they don’t see salary up front, they won’t engage. If you haven’t posted salaries before, now may be the time to try.
  • If you offer a hybrid work environment, highlight that in a way that is attractive to job seekers who want to know they will be set up for success working remotely and that their time in-office has meaning. Here’s how to show them that value.
  • Pay for the expense of posting on various job boards and invest in social media ads to expand your reach outside your networks. You are competing with recruiting firms reaching out to candidates and moving them quickly through the hiring process.

Check out 6 Steps to Writing Job Descriptions That Attract Great Candidates for practical tips to optimize your job ads for more effective recruiting on your own.

Do the Work Now, Thank Yourself Later

Whether working with us or on your own, if you aim for your new hire to start in January, get organized and start moving. A candidate you interview over the next few weeks may be your best employee in 2023. If you get an offer out in time, you’ll start the new year well-rested and ready to train, with the hassle of hiring in your rearview mirror.