The festive season is here, bringing not just joy and celebration but also a fantastic opportunity to attract and engage with seasonal job seekers. Whether it’s students home for the holidays, retirees looking for extra income, family carers, or those keen to fill their time with meaningful work, the season offers a unique chance to build a flexible workforce that could support your organisation now and into the new year.
Start with Seasonal Keywords
Searching “Christmas” on popular job boards returns thousands of results. Are your adverts optimised with festive keywords? A quick update could make all the difference in standing out to job seekers looking for seasonal opportunities.
Leverage Social Media
The festive period is perfect for blending recruitment efforts with holiday cheer. Use social media platforms to:
- Promote your vacancies.
- Showcase festive activities within your settings.
Real-time, real-life content fosters engagement and reaches untapped audiences. Highlight the opportunity for candidates to make a meaningful impact during the season – they might even be encouraged to start sooner than January!
Celebrate Your Teams
Don’t forget to recognise and celebrate the amazing efforts of your teams:
- Handwritten thank-you cards.
- Thoughtful small gifts.
- Team shoutouts to celebrate achievements.
Share these moments on social media to showcase your organisational values. If you’re in a care setting, involve residents in creating thank-you cards for an added personal touch.
Plan and Communicate
Preparation is key to navigating the festive period smoothly:
- Identify where you’ll need extra support.
- Clearly communicate shift requirements and availability.
- Offer flexibility in rota scheduling to incentivise both current staff and candidates in your pipeline.
Giving your team options during this time shows you value their contributions and helps you manage resources effectively.
Manage Staffing Costs
Avoid unexpected agency spend by:
- Checking and prioritising your bank workers’ availability.
- Engaging students home from college or university.
- Offering overtime to current staff.
Planning ahead ensures smooth operations while keeping costs under control.
Refine Recruitment Processes
Use the holiday period to streamline onboarding:
- Understand candidates’ requirements, experience levels, and start date preferences.
- Prioritise those closest to being ready or eager to start.
- Offer in-house inductions outside planned L&D days or shift training modules online for candidates to complete pre-start.
This collaborative approach ensures faster onboarding and gets the right people in place when they’re needed most.
Promote Referral Schemes
Do your teams know about your referral schemes?
- Refresh awareness with posters in high-traffic areas.
- Mention them during team meetings and handovers.
Make a New Year resolution to keep referrals top of mind and actively encourage participation. Turning your team into talent ambassadors is a win-win for everyone.
Stay Connected with Candidates
The festive break doesn’t have to mean a communication break:
- Send a cheerful greeting to candidates, perhaps with a festive video from your team or care setting.
- Let them know if you’re available between Christmas and New Year, or automate your communications to keep them informed.
A little outreach goes a long way in showing your commitment and keeping the process moving.
Prepare for January
The “New Year, New Me” mindset is just around the corner. Get ready by:
- Identifying your hard-to-fill vacancies.
- Communicating with your talent pool now.
- Preparing creative attraction strategies to take advantage of the unique momentum the new year brings.
A little preparation now sets you up to hit the ground running in January, ensuring you attract the best talent to start the year strong.
From all of us at Cohesion, we hope these tips bring you success this festive season. Here’s to filling your vacancies, celebrating your teams, and spreading holiday cheer!
