Woman with a thoughtful or questioning expression

“We’ll wait until Fall”

Four little words. That’s all it takes to kill your chances of securing top talent. EVERYONE starts hiring in Fall: you, your competitors, your suppliers, your partners, your neighbour, your neighbour’s dog…. Ok not your neighbour’s dog. But you get the picture. Take it from us.

Here’s why you need to keep the heat on hiring:

Beat the rush

Fall is the peak period for hiring and we can understand why! Everyone gets into the ‘back-to-school’ mentality and all of sudden the phones start ringing. This is why summer is the ideal time to start hiring—get in early before your competitors. And when it comes to hiring, think of your competitors as any other employer who may be looking for who you need.

Additionally, several industries are heavily project based, and projects often come to an end in the summer; snap up talent before their end dates and plan their next move to you!

Being idle in summer can damage your employer brand

Occasionally employers will start a hiring process in June, only to put the brakes on come July and August. Not only do you risk losing top candidates to a competitor, but you could also be casting a negative light on your company. When a candidate gets put on hiatus during the hiring process it can plant two unwelcome seeds of thought:

1. You’re not really interested in hiring them.

2. The company is not in a stable position and may not be an ‘employer of choice’ after all.

The second point can be extremely damaging in tight-knit industries where high-value candidates spread the word and cast doubt on the desirability of an employer.

Hire in summer, hit the ground running in fall

The hiring process almost always takes longer than anticipated. So getting the jump in summer means you’re more likely to have high-functioning new employees in the peak fall season. Hiring in summer also has its benefits in terms of the recruitment process itself. Employers can try out more casual hiring tactics such as meeting candidates for an informal drink on a patio; it’s a great way to really get to know the candidate in a more relaxed environment.

If you can snag some top talent during the summer months, it’s the perfect opportunity to begin onboarding them when the office is less busy. You’ll have more time available to train, as well as give them a less stressful ramp-up period so that they’re confidently up to speed by fall.

Top talent is available

Even though a lot of businesses slow down over the summer, we certainly can’t say the same! Our recruiters continue to source candidates and actively headhunt throughout summer. It’s actually a great time to pick up some stellar candidates. Top talent tends to be more open to new possibilities when work is less hectic and they have time to think about the direction of their career.

Even if your must-hire candidate wants to take vacation over summer, secure them with a signed offer and choose a later start date. It’s better to have them start later than not at all!

 

As you can tell, we are big believers in keeping the foot on the hiring pedal all summer long. Our years of experience have shown us over and over again that it’s worth keeping the heat on hiring if you want to win the war for talent!