There’s never been a better time to ramp up your recruitment efforts than the festive season. 

It’s a common misconception that a ‘Christmas hiring freeze’ halts companies’ recruitment efforts to a stop. We know this isn’t true. In reality, people have more time to think about their goals and reflect on what they want their future to look like during their end-of-year review cycle. This opens the floor for recruiters to engage with the best talent who are thinking about changing their scenery in the New Year.

In this article, we’ll explore why recruiting during the holiday season provides an unparalleled opportunity for small to medium businesses (SMEs) and recruiting firms to strengthen relationships, engage candidates, and secure top talent.

Why Recruitment Doesn’t Stop in December

While most industries slow down during the holiday season, many job seekers don’t take a break. In 2023, job searches over Christmas were at their highest levels in five years. Here’s why:

Businesses are Preparing for January Hiring Surges
The new year often triggers a hiring boom as businesses ramp up their operations and candidates reassess their career goals. For example, a Sydney-based SaaS company that approached Uplift Recruitment in December needed to secure a sales manager to meet aggressive Q1 targets. By getting ahead of the curve and maintaining momentum over the holidays, we ensured a pipeline of engaged and pre-qualified candidates ready to start in early January. 

By recruiting over Christmas, our client avoided wasting weeks of waiting and had a new starter on board as early as possible, and started maximising their sales strategy immediately.

Candidate Availability
Candidates are becoming increasingly motivated to job-hunt in the holiday season. Combined with their increased flexibility to interview or lighter schedules, it’s a perfect opportunity to connect with the top talent you want to hire. It’s important to remember that Australia’s population is becoming more culturally diverse, so that means not everyone will be celebrating a holiday.

Unbroken Momentum
Pausing recruitment over Christmas will disrupt momentum. Keeping your processes active ensures that good candidates don’t lose interest or feel neglected. SMEs that maintain consistency during this period communicate reliability and commitment to prospective employees.

LinkedIn Activity Remains High
Contrary to popular belief, LinkedIn engagement doesn’t plummet during the holidays. After all, LinkedIn is a social media platform, so it’s no surprise that activity increases when people have more spare time on their hands. 

LinkedIn reports some of its highest activity in December. This is a time when professionals reflect on their careers, think about how to land their dream role, and network for the upcoming year. Uplift Recruitment’s holiday-themed LinkedIn posts about IT and marketing roles reflect this trend: we consistently see 15% higher engagement in December compared to other months.

Take note: savvy recruiters can leverage this heightened activity to source and engage top talent.

Tips to Maintain Candidate Engagement Over the Holidays

Candidate engagement in recruitment is critical all year round but requires special attention during festive periods when distractions are rife. Here’s how to improve candidate engagement during the holidays:

Set Clear Expectations

Transparency helps manage expectations and builds trust. Communicate your hiring timelines to candidates upfront. If your business is experiencing seasonal staffing challenges, or simply operating on a skeleton staff, let them know if they might experience a delay in communication and tell them when they can expect to hear back. 

For example, when working with a client to hire a customer service team for an e-commerce business, Uplift Recruitment sent candidates a timeline for interviews and onboarding. This ensured the candidates felt informed and engaged despite the holiday break. 

Personalised Communication

It’s a good idea to send holiday-themed messages or greetings to maintain warmth and connection. A personalised “Happy Holidays” email can leave a lasting impression. For example, Uplift Recruitment sent candidates for a Marketing Manager role a festive email with insights about the company’s culture, ensuring they remained excited about the opportunity.

However, you should avoid generic updates and tailor your communications to reflect each candidate’s progress and interests.

Leverage Technology

Use automated tools like email sequences to maintain consistent touchpoints. Create engaging content such as videos or newsletters to keep candidates informed about your company culture and opportunities. For example, Uplift Recruitment used automation to send weekly updates and tips for candidates for an Admin role, streamlining communication while keeping it personal.

Offer Flexibility in Scheduling

Respect candidates’ holiday plans and offer interview times that accommodate their availability during this season. Virtual interviews can be a convenient solution – they can be facilitated by a recruitment agency who can step in during this period.

Engage on LinkedIn

We discussed earlier how LinkedIn provides an opportunity to engage with candidates at a heightened time. Take advantage of this by posting holiday-themed content to your company’s LinkedIn page, showcasing your culture and open roles. Share insights about hiring trends or tips for job seekers, establishing your organisation as a thought leader. 

It’s critical to take advantage of any opportunity to stand out, particularly if you’re recruiting for a competitive industry like tech.

Keep the Application Process Simple

Ensure your application process is user-friendly. This is a time when many people switch off, so candidates will appreciate processes that are smooth and easy. As a result, they’ll be more likely to complete their application.

Highlight Post-Holiday Benefits

Use the holidays to showcase what candidates can expect in the new year, such as upcoming projects, team expansion, or career growth opportunities.

Why SMEs Need a Candidate Engagement Strategy Over Christmas

For SMEs in a competitive market like Sydney, a solid candidate engagement plan isn’t just a nice-to-have during the holidays. It’s a necessary edge. Here’s why:

1. Filling Critical Roles Without Delay

SMEs often operate with fewer people over Christmas, making every hire crucial. For example, an engineering consultancy approached Uplift Recruitment to find a technical administrator just before shutdown in December. We know that delaying recruitment over Christmas can leave roles vacant longer, and can impact productivity and revenue. So, we maintained engagement over the holidays to ensure the role was filled before January. This avoided a backlog of administrative tasks and helped the company start the year off right.

2. Standing Out in the Market

A strong candidate engagement strategy can differentiate your business. By maintaining active communication during a period when others go quiet, your company can capture the attention of top talent.

3. Building a Talent Pipeline

Even if hiring decisions aren’t made immediately, engaging candidates over Christmas helps build a pipeline of interested professionals. This proactive approach ensures you’re not starting from scratch in January.

4. Addressing Candidate Concerns

Some candidates still hesitate to switch jobs during the holidays due to perceived risks and instability. A well-crafted engagement strategy can alleviate concerns by showcasing your company’s stability and growth potential.

Crafting an Effective Candidate Engagement Plan for the Holidays

Creating a candidate engagement plan requires deliberate action. Here’s how SMEs can design a strategy that works:

Audit your candidate touchpoints.  Map out all touchpoints with candidates, from job postings to final interviews. Identify where communication gaps may occur during the holidays and address them. For example, Uplift Recruitment ensures application portals are optimised for mobile, accommodating candidates browsing job postings during holiday downtime.

Prioritise proactive communication by using a mix of email, social media, and phone calls to stay connected with candidates. Train your recruitment team by ensuring they understand how important this period is, and ensure they are equipped to handle candidate queries efficiently. Focus on Content Marketing and share holiday-themed blog posts, insights, thought leadership posts, and videos that align with your company’s mission. Monitor and adjust response rates or time spent on application portals. Use this data to refine your approach.

Final thoughts: The Opportunity in Recruiting Over Christmas

SMEs can set up for a great start to the New Year by recruiting during the Christmas period. As we’ve shown, doing this right will ensure you have engaged, motivated talent ready to join your business as close to January 1 as possible. 

As LinkedIn data shows, professional engagement remains high during the holidays. Use this to your advantage by staying visible, active, and connected. Your future hires—and your bottom line—will thank you.

Ready to set up a Christmas recruitment strategy with proven results? Contact Uplift Recruitment today for expert advice on positioning your business for a successful start to the new year.