With summer coming to a close and Christmas just around the corner, it’s time for recruiters to begin thinking about their seasonal hiring plans. With the Christmas and New Year period an exceptionally busy time for retail and hospitality, hiring temporary staff helps businesses to thrive and successfully meet the increased demand these next few months will bring.
With the Christmas period beginning in less than four months, now is the time for recruiters to decide the needs of their business ahead of time. This article will detail the key tips recruiters should follow when thinking about seasonal hiring for their business.
Plan ahead and decide what you need
Carefully consider your hiring requirements. How many additional people do you need? Do they need training? What hours will they work and how long do you intend to keep them in position?
Planning is essential as you need to give yourself time to advertise your roles, interview, and train your seasonal hires. Knowing exactly when you are due to see the increased demand is key, as you will need your seasonal hires fully trained and equipped by then. A business’s worst nightmare is being in the thick of the busy period, with untrained staff that cannot be relied on.
Keep the recruitment process as short as possible
A long, drawn-out recruitment process can work against you so it’s key to think of ways to shorten the recruitment process. It’s important to still hire the best people for the job, while also making sure to not interview too many candidates and have multiple stages of interviews for the positions.
Could a quick phone call help you screen out candidates before you meet them face to face? Can you enlist the help of somebody else on your team to process applications? Could you build in a quick skills assessment to reduce the need for a second interview? If you can speed up how you hire then do.
One way to keep the recruitment process short and filter through a large number of candidates is to have a recruitment evening. A recruitment evening allows a large group of candidates whose CVs have been selected to be interviewed in a team setting by multiple interviewers. Once the hiring team has all agreed on their goal, setting out tasks and scenarios to smaller groups of these candidates is a quick and fair way to decipher who the best of the bunch is.
Provide training to new staff
Christmas in retail or hospitality can be stressful so your seasonal staff needs to be able to handle any situation. Training takes time but it is worth the effort. Workers who know what they are doing and are familiar with the way your business operates can be productive from the get-go.
Develop a comprehensive training and onboarding program to quickly integrate new hires into their roles. This can help them become productive and effective team members faster.
If a large number of candidates have been hired, consider a group training session where all aspects of the role are covered for everyone. Enlist the help of long-term staff members to assist and answer any questions pertaining to the role and duties.
Build a talent pool
You’ve spent time sourcing and training your seasonal workers and they are familiar with how your business operates. That makes them an incredibly valuable resource, a talent pool. Once the holidays are over, stay in touch so you can let them know about any future opportunities you may have.
Permanent positions may become available and there may be students in your talent pool who are available for weekend work or full-time work during summer months. Treat your seasonal staff well, and provide them with a good employee experience, and in the long term, it will save you time, money, and effort in your recruitment process.
Ultimately, a well-executed seasonal hiring strategy can not only address the increased demand for staff but also contribute to the overall success and reputation of the business. By diligently planning ahead, optimising job descriptions, and providing strategic training, recruiters can attract top-notch candidates who possess the necessary skills and align with the company’s values.
Through these proactive measures, recruiters can turn the challenges of seasonal hiring into opportunities to showcase the company’s commitment to excellence and create a workforce that thrives even in the busiest times.
