8 things to do in the December slowdown

“Let’s hold off until January” is the new “you’re on mute.”

Depending on your industry focus, recruiting is a bit slow right now. Many see the double whammy of holiday anticipation + no one knows wtf is next for this contradictory job market. 

So what are you doing in December?

It’s the perfect time to address all those droning “recruiting is broken” takes by fixing a few things. Some suggestions:

????Cross train on HR systems & processes.

Better assist with the onboarding process. At least the expectation setting piece.

????Iron out processes and integrations with your (probably crappy) ATS. Or look for a new one.

????Write new job ads.

Tell the reader why your job is better than the one they currently have.

????Rewrite job descriptions.

Yes, those are different from job ads. All those things hiring managers tell you are important aren’t in there already? Add them.

????Reconnect with all your great candidates that didn’t pan out.

2nd place finishers you could easily hire next year. Talking with them proactively can be the difference between them taking your calls when a role’s open vs marking you as spam.

????Write a job seeker FAQ.

I *cannot* stress this enough. Write down every question you get. Answer it. Post on your website. Share it on social. Use it in your follow ups.

Job seekers want answers to their questions, not fluffy corporate branding content.

????Define and document your interview process.

Step by step. Requires you to sync up with the internal hiring teams, gain agreement and buy in. Reduce ad hoc decisions as much as possible.

????Post that documented process online, too.

Tell candidates exactly what they can expect up front. Excellent example of this by XWP, here.

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.