A seasonal hiring campaign requires employees to fill positions within a short time frame. Recruiters will experience a spike in job applicants and must navigate through a high demand workload to meet deadlines. It’s a tricky process so the right measures must be put into place.
A seasonal position often lasts around three months and are common during the summer, winter and festive seasons.
Typical industries that implement seasonal hiring:
Food and retail shops – particular demand during the build-up to Christmas.
Delivery, courier and services – which are often extremely busy around December and require additional employees.
Hospitality – a rise in summer vacationing means extra staff for restaurants and hotels.
Are you making any of these 3 mistakes in your seasonal hiring campaign?
Timing is off
A successful seasonal hiring campaign is all about planning. Executing your recruitment plan at the wrong time can lead to missed potential and talent shortages. For example, opening job vacancies a few weeks before the season begins can cause a flurry of applicants which will consequently put pressure on your hiring team to review all possible candidates within a short time frame. Many applicants will be missed or not considered fairly.
Anticipate high volumes of job applicant interest and give yourself plenty of time to process each candidate. The ideal times to begin hiring for winter positions are September to October and for summer, February to May.
You’re looking for a specific skillset
Many seasonal hires will have a range of different career backgrounds. Therefore, recruiting for a specific skill or experience level isn’t always effective. Widen your screening criteria and recruit for soft skills that are transferable into the temporary position.
When skills and experience aren’t the main requirements, screen applicant responses to competency-based questions. This involves an assessment of text, language and context that usually surrounds situational based questions.
Automated behavioural and competency response screening technology enables analysis of language and contextual based data found in responses to job application questions. Instantly screen and accurately score competencies such as communication, leadership, teamwork and problem-solving skills to determine job fit.
A lack of investment into onboarding new employees
Some employers make the mistake of not valuing the onboarding process for temporary employees. Investing time and money into new hires (regardless of their job type) is vital in maximising the potential of employees. Since seasonal roles are during busy periods within an organisation, it’s essential to prep new starters with all the information they need to succeed in a potentially hectic job role.
Simple onboarding steps:
- Provide a general introduction to the business
- Tour new workplace and introduce to colleagues
- Guide employees through initial tasks and procedures
- Provide role support and discuss goals within their position
Make this year’s employees, next years. Instead of starting the recruitment process from scratch every seasonal hiring drive, rehire past employees. Draw upon their previous experience for their next seasonal position. In doing so, save time and costs with effective talent retention. This is made easier to achieve if the candidate feels previously valued in their role through a positive hiring and onboarding experience.
Let us know your tips for seasonal hiring in the comments below or @CiiVSOFT.
