Hiring During the Holidays

When everyone seems to be focused on wrapping up the year and getting ready for the next, there is a surge in hiring that rivals any other quarter of the year. The common thought that companies don't hire during the holidays is a myth, however on the candidate front there is a massive drought that makes hiring during the holidays extremely difficult.

During the holidays the common candidate that is thinking about testing the job market usually puts their job search on hold until the new year. Even if they were looking before the holidays, they tend to take a break around this time to pick it up in the new year when "everyone is hiring again. It's always funny to me when I talk with a candidate that has this line of thinking because it's the exact opposite advice I would ever tell someone if they were looking for a job. Search for a job when your competition is thin, not when it's at its peak. The companies that are interviewing right now are serious about hiring someone before the end of the year, waiting for next year is a gamble that could have the candidate wait for longer than they think. It's the most honest job market you can find because the people who are looking to make a change or looking to find talent aren't window shopping, they've tested the market and they're looking to land something or someone before the end of the year - the exact opposite of what you'll get in January.

It's not all roses though, there are some serious challenges you face during the holidays when it comes to hiring. Here are just a few:

Long start dates

Be wary of some of these drawn out start dates. No one wants to be the bad guy and tell your new hire not to take that long holiday vacation but nothing is worse than hiring someone, waiting one month for the person to start only to find out that they had second thoughts about the opportunity a few days before their start date. You wasted all of that time waiting for the person to start when you could have continued the interview process. What do you do to prevent this?

• Ask if they can start for a few days before their vacation.
• Invite them to meet the team during one of your epic Holiday Parties.
• Ask if they could push off their vacation toward the end of the Holiday season and incorporate that in their PTO.

Counter Offers

This one stings the worst. You do all the work only to find out the candidate was fishing for a raise or a promotion and because of your courtship, they ended up getting a good holiday bump. Companies will do anything they can to keep their talent through the holidays so they can rev up a new search in the new year. Why not? If you need deadlines to be hit, throwing someone a $20K raise to their salary, paying only a month or two worth of that new salary and then hiring someone in the new year is a lot cheaper than feeling the pinch during the holidays, hiring someone urgently and most likely paying an agency fee for. What can you do?

• Tell the candidate from the beginning that they will get a counter offer and you're not interested in playing those games.
• Tell the candidate that they will get a counter offer and if they take it they'll be back looking again in 90 days once the original reason for leaving resurfaces.
• Be very aware and sensitive as to why they're looking to leave their current company – does it make sense to you? Does it seem like it's a dead end?
• Ask the candidate if there's anything that their current company can do to keep them? If yes, tell them to ask for it now before you continue the process any further. Save yourself the frustration.

Competition

You're not the only company hiring during the holidays. You're also not the only company that needs someone to start before the end of the year. So what do you think happens when you find someone that's perfect for your role? You're not alone in pursuing this candidate and you're one of many competing for the same talent. So how do you hire them?

• Listen to what they're looking for and make sure you don't just sell them the reasons why you took the job. Most candidates want a growth path. Most technical candidates want the latest technology. But not all candidates are alike, so don't fall in the trap and sell what "most candidates" are looking for but tune in on what this person is looking for.
• Ask them directly if they want your job. Make them tell you why they want it. If they can't verbalize compelling reasons why they want your job then most likely they're not going to accept an offer, they're going to shop your offer somewhere else. Save yourself some time and move on to someone who does.
• Ask them what do you need to offer them to shut down their search? Remember, if the candidate's number is $100K but you know they'll still go on a few final round interviews while they consider the offer, find out what it will take for them to not go on those interviews. It might only be a few thousand dollars and in this market you don't want to take any chances on missing out on qualified people. You showed your cards and nothing gives your competition the advantage more than knowing what they're up against.

So if you're hiring right now and find it difficult to find people, stay focused and determined because waiting for next year's talent will only result in finding someone much later in the quarter than what you needed. You'll also be lined up against the majority of companies opening up their new positions for the year and you'll be lost in the shuffle. You'll find some really good talent during the holidays but finding and hiring are two separate things. Stay focused and determined to hire your next candidate and don't waste any time in the process.