I’m obsessed with the holidays. Maybe you are too, but I would hazard a guess that my obsession is much different than yours. I’ve read all the social media posts about decorating, baking goodies, putting Christmas trees in every room of your house, and let’s not forget the deal-chasing shopping frenzy. That is so far from my obsession you’ll think I’m crazy.
For me, all those things are noise that get in the way of the real work of the holidays. My obsession is helping small businesses recruit top talent at a time when others are focused on the trimmings instead of the heart and soul of their business. Because let’s face it, people are the heart and soul of any business and without the right people, your business will be in an endless state of struggle.
That’s why the only holiday obsession I have is helping organizations end their struggle to hire the people they need to be more effective, efficient, and profitable.
So, let’s look at what successful businesses are doing during the holidays that you should be doing too.
Success Tip #1: Fill Open Positions During the Holidays
The holidays are the best time to recruit. Why? Because most companies are announcing their annual bonuses and salary increases. People who want to change jobs or try a new career want to receive everything they’ve worked hard for during the year. Those are the candidates who are looking for their dream job during the holidays. They are the go-getters who understand that there are opportunities that others will miss. These people know they can quickly rise to the top of the candidate pool because the competition is off shopping for Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, attending parties, and waiting until after New Year’s to find a new job.
Success Tip #2: Make Hiring a Top Priority
A mistake I see all too often is thinking that there is no time for hiring during the holiday season. If your business needs to hire great people, why would you want to wait? For some businesses, the holidays tend to be a bit slower because customers or clients are taking time off or perhaps closing for the holidays. For others, this is their busiest season and their employees are probably working extra hard and would appreciate having help from that new hire you’re postponing until January.
Success Tip #3: Put a Spotlight on Company Culture
The holidays are a great time of year to spotlight your company culture. This is a time of gratitude and giving. In many companies that means toy drives, helping local food banks, raising money for community organizations, and generally giving back to the community. Today’s workforce finds giving back and contributing to their community an important aspect of their work life. What better way to attract top talent than to show your company culture values giving back to the community?
Success Tip #4: Plan to Do It Right
Small businesses who want to hire top talent start with a plan because they recognize that hiring the right people builds the foundation they need to grow their business and meet their goals. Successful companies work hard to be very clear about what they want and what they don’t want. Running a business requires keeping lots of wheels in motion, and finding the time to understand the kind of people to hire always seems to be at the bottom of the list. When you put finding the right people at the top of your list, you end up with less stress, more time, and more profit.
One of my clients recently told me that spending time working on their ideal employee profile and creating a clear job description freshened up their ideas and needs. It also opened a wider range of candidates that they might not previously have had access to. It was the best investment of their time ever.
We’ve talked how you can hire top talent during the holidays. Now, it’s time for you to actually do it. That’s the hard part. But, there’s good news! I wrote The YOLO Principle: The Ultimate Hiring Guide for Small Business to give you the step-by-step process to plan and implement a hiring strategy that will keep your business ahead of the competition.
In the meantime, let me know—via the comment section—which of these four success tips resonates most with you. If you’ve been guilty of missing a few of them, no worries, we’ve all been there. The important thing is to start somewhere. Remember, you can always ask for personalized help. Schedule your insight session today, call me, or send an email.