10 Ways to Hire Great Candidates During the Holidays - Glassdoor for Employers

10 Ways to Hire Great Candidates During the Holidays

Focusing on holiday cheer this time of year is natural. Virtually everyone is immersed in party planning, gift buying, vacationing and more, so your next great candidate may not be considering a job interview an imperative at the moment.

So how can you package an opportunity amid holiday festivities that will entice your top candidates to carve out time for your company? What will pull them away from their next party invitation or other festive activity placing additional demands and expectations on them this wonderful time of the year? The following 10 gifts might:

1. The Gift of Low Pressure

Rather than putting on a full-court press that insinuates they must jump through hiring hoops and get on a plane now, give the candidate some time. While your needs may seem urgent to you, it's best to put the kibosh on high-pressure tactics in order to more slowly lure in your ideal candidate. Even if they're not immediately receptive based on the timing of competing commitments this time of year, they will likely consider the opportunity if presented confidently and with the gift of a respectful timeline.

[Related: How to Create a Best-in-Class Candidate Experience]

2. The Gift of Healthcare Benefits

As healthcare prices continue to skyrocket for many, weaving in an attractive, comprehensive medical benefits package may be a lure. Open enrollment, for some states, extends into January or beyond. Consider how your company may appeal to those candidates who are yearning for a better plan for them and their family.

3. The Gift of Professional Development

Many candidates crave knowledge, advanced credentials and the opportunity to compound their abilities through focused training initiatives. If you lay out a specific plan that includes a financial investment in your top candidates’ future education, you prove that you are not only interested in short-term contribution gains but are willing to bet on their value in the longer term.

4. The Gift of Competitive Salaries

While culture and other onsite and work-life balance benefits are genuinely appealing, salary still ranks as a top contender when illustrating competitive benefits for careerists. In other words, money can talk. Whether this means considering expanding the salary range for your best candidate or offering them an appealing range of opportunities for bonuses and rewards through a flexible compensation plan, money is a gift that keeps on giving.

5. The Gift of Working From Home

From entry-level employees to senior executives and everyone in between, people crave flexibility in their work life, and this includes opportunities to work from home. If you aren’t already doing so, offering a more diverse work-life balance to your top candidate could convert them from ‘meh’ to ‘yeah’ when pitching them on that hot opportunity.

[Related: 4 Strategies for Hiring, Training and Retaining the Best Remote Workers]

6. The Gift of Vacation

So many candidates are pressed with not having enough time for their families and friends, for projects at home and/or simply just to empty their minds of the day-to-day pressures. Enticing your favored candidates with additional vacation time may jettison their doubt and seal the deal, especially during this family time of the year.

7. The Gift of Understanding Their Needs

By deeply researching the candidate and performing the due diligence to understand their potential needs, you can pitch them with value-add options for advancing their career. For example, an HR Manager currently overseeing a localized network of employees may seek out global accountability. If you are able to extend the core value proposition of their responsibility through an enhanced job description, you may be able to appeal to their spoken or even unspoken desires.

8. The Gift of Mentorship

While mentoring and coaching are buzzwords that have riddled the job search blogging sphere, there are still many candidates tethered to roles that lack such support. Some of these candidates may not even be aware of the value of such an opportunity. Proactively packaging this gift in a way will articulate the future value to the candidate’s career. This may include a written promise to assign a personal coach or mentor upon hiring, enabling you to convert a disinterested candidate into someone actively interviewing with your organization.

[Related: A 5-Step Plan to Effectively Mentor Your Employees]

9. The Gift of Career Advancement

It may seem obvious that you would be courting a candidate for an advancement opportunity, but consider another possibility. Perhaps the position, upon closer inspection, is missing elements that the target candidate considers necessary for a growth role. Explore, upon deeper conversation with the candidate, what those elements are, and if possible, expand or shift the role in a way that weaves those elements into the position description, while still giving you what you need as a hiring manager.

10. The Gift of Pursuit

Being pursued can be attractive to candidates who otherwise are passive in their job search. Courting them through a series of steps, including a combination of any of the above strategies, can convert a lukewarm candidate into a decidedly agreeable interviewee. This holiday season, take the extra time to show candidates that you care — it just might make all the difference!

Learn More: 

Holiday Hiring: Dos and Don’ts