Why is December one of the best months for recruitment?

Author: BBK

December is the last month of the year, and potentially the most suitable month of the year for recruitment. It provides a myriad opportunities for employers to hire new workers, but often this month is overlooked by employers as one of the best months for recruitment.

There are some fantastic reasons as to why December is perhaps the best month for recruitment. They are listed below.

1 – December means Christmas season and Christmas season means insufficient employees! Generally, for businesses the entire month of December means big business for many, both big and small. Businesses will be able to implement many marketing strategies at this point in time, but may have a shortage of staff to help out. This is when businesses should be looking out for workers to help them get all the Christmas stock out, a prime time for both employers and employees to win big and get something good out of Christmas.

2 – Often when recruiting, you will find that most unemployed people are getting ready to plan for a new year. This means many things. Most unemployed people are looking for new jobs for the New Year and will often be on the lookout for new jobs. These people are the perfect target audience for you as the employer; here you will be able to hire them to work for you, and at the same time they will be ensuring their future in new jobs.

3 – At the end of the year, there really isn’t much competition among companies to get new recruits. Some corporate recruiting budgets run out in December, or have functions that lose money through poor planning such that they are reduced to having no money available for further functions or recruitment. This means that they may have no choice but to limit recruiting. If you are a business, big or small, that still has a manageable budget and can spare some money to hire new recruits, you may be in luck for the end of year and Christmas New Year sales.

4 – Social media is your best friend. During the Christmas and New Year period, many people will be highly active on various social media platforms, contacting friends, doing online shopping and many other things. This means that there will be plenty of people online during this time, making it easier for recruiters to find and communicate with people looking for good job prospects. The extra time that people will find that they have given them time to refresh their social media content, edit their resumes or LinkedIn profiles, providing themselves with an opportunity to begin a job search and hopefully catch your eye as the employer.

5 – Everybody is thinking about money in December. In December, people are thinking about organising their budgets to buy gifts and presents for their loved ones. As a result, December is definitely a perfect time to recruit those people looking for an extra stash of cash to spend on their loved ones.

6 – December is the time when most people are available to be hired. Most corporate companies make the common mistake of deciding not to open recruitment times for people during December. This is a mistake and a missed opportunity for most as it is a time where people are most available and receptive despite the imminent Christmas season.

7 – Employers who are smart about their recruitment time will recruit during December. December is a ‘slack’ time at the end of the year, where there is a slack office atmosphere present. It gives the perfect opportunity for smart corporate leaders to be proactive about their recruitment. During December, hiring managers do not usually open up new positions. There are very few ‘job fairs’ or college recruiting events scheduled for any time slots available in December, and so this allows for recruiters to have extra time to plan their own events in order to get new people to join their businesses. December is also the time that the more active job seekers will tone down and not flood organizations with resumes, emails and calls. This overall reduction in enthusiasm and activity will allow for employers to find the extra time to search for the real high-quality resumes that are currently present in their database, as well as to proactively seek out others using social media platforms, ads in newspapers and other direct sourcing methods.

8 – Potential new recruits will be carrying their mobiles with them 24/7. Since they are always carrying their phones, this means that it will be easier to reach them with calls and texts regarding job opportunities at a certain business or company. People naturally answer calls and texts more often since they are expecting calls and texts from beloved friends and family. This is one of the most effective ways in reaching out to potential new employees as it is one of the most direct ways in contacting them and eventually hiring them.

9 – December holidays and Christmas and New Year season is the perfect opportunity for employer brand building. The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to show to the general public that as the business and/or employer, your employees care about giving back to the community, as well as demonstrating community involvement and participation. This helps in building your business’s reputation and image.

These are some of the top reasons that explicitly demonstrate and continuously prove that December is the best month for recruitment. 

No one else may be recruiting, but you can be the first and rake in the fruits of the opportunities provided to you while you seize the day for your business!