It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – and with the twinkly lights and tinsel going up, lots of businesses are starting to slow down, especially when it comes to recruitment. But December is actually a really good time to look for new talent to add to your organisation.

Here are three reasons why starting a recruitment drive during the festive period could be the best decision you make this year.

1. There's less competition

One of the main reasons for recruiting in the run up to Christmas is that lots of other organisations will either scale down or stop recruitment processes until January comes back around. That means less competition for the best candidates, and makes it easier to stand out from the crowd.

In a highly competitive market, this could be the difference between securing your dream candidate or missing out. And you might then be able to skip the annual January battle for talent completely.

2. People have more time

Lots of us take leave in the run up to Christmas, whether that’s to spend time with family and friends, for festive shopping or simply to use up holiday allowances before the end of the year. And it’s much easier to schedule interviews with potential new employees who are off already. Even if they’re not, it’s usually more straightforward to book an afternoon off in December than it is in January when new projects and responsibilities often start. You don’t want to miss out on a great potential employee at the start of the new year because they’re not available for an interview.

The same applies to businesses too. If things are a little quieter as you approach year end, it’s likely to be easier for your people to take time away from their day-to-day work to focus on recruitment. It’ll also be more straightforward to get them in a room together to shortlist and interview potential candidates, and make a decision more quickly.

Move fast enough and you could even have your new talent start at the beginning of the new year. So you’ll begin 2024 with a really strong team already in place ready to tackle upcoming projects and achieve your goals. Even if you don’t manage to move that quickly, getting the recruitment ball rolling in December means you could have a shortlist of great candidates finalised at the start of the new year. Then it’s just a case of running the interviews and making the all-important decision.

3. There are lots of positive vibes around

For most people, Christmas is a fun time of year and spirits are high. Many people also use the end of the year to take time to think about and plan their future career goals. All that positive feeling and looking to the future might mean they’re more receptive to new job opportunities, even if they’re not actively looking. Make sure you’re ready to take advantage by starting your recruitment drive today.

The potential pitfalls

There are, of course, some challenges when it comes to recruiting at Christmas. The fact that people often take holiday can mean your key people aren’t all in the office at the same time, creating shortlists of candidates more difficult. But help is at hand…