With the end of 2016 now upon us with companies, recruiters, employees and candidates alike feeling frazzled from a demanding year, you might well ask why you would want to continue promoting your company brand, value proposition and job opportunities over the holiday period.

Mmm.

Digital/electronic media advertising and marketing:

Mobile devices have provided companies with endless opportunities and scope to market, advertise and communicate via job boards and social media. Throughout the Christmas, Easter and school holidays, companies are still presented with a massive candidate audience to which to vigorously market, promote and sell their employer brand.
And that’s why astute, long range-thinking companies are right now activating exciting, thought- provoking recruitment marketing and employer banding campaigns, both showcasing their employer value propositions and asking people where they see themselves in 2017.

Social media marketing, campaigning and networking:

With many companies fast acknowledging that social recruiting is no longer a novelty but a necessity – especially when it comes to the all-important passive talent market – this is where companies need  to be very active indeed over the holiday period, building high awareness of their work environment and what it has to offer, especially to the millennial generation. Socializing, networking, celebrating, forecasting and setting New Year’s resolutions all happen around now, so your driving top of mind awareness will give you the edge, gaining for you the attention missed by other recruiters.
(And, of course, their clients!)

Please don’t be blinkered here. Smart organisations will be taking full advantage of the far-from- dormant ‘Happy Holidays’ period to create just the right climate for launching a hard-hitting recruitment marketing campaign first thing 2017.

Stand out from the rest:

Sure, traditionally recruiters slow down almost to a standstill when it comes to the marketing, advertising and sourcing of candidates over this year-end period. Have you ever thought of how much more visible your company and job opportunities would be just now, minus the usual clutter of content on all the normally well- patronised job boards and recruitment platforms?

In a nutshell, since there are traditionally fewer job postings on them right now, any half-decent jobs that are posted will be far more visible to the candidate public than at any other time of the year!

With downtime comes a receptive audience:

With time on their hands and minds, many who could well make up members of your target audience will now be far more receptive and available to reading, researching and forecasting what they would like to achieve in the year ahead.

Proactively gauge, plan and build your employer branding strategy and recruitment goals for 2017:

If you are a company not completely convinced that this and other major holiday periods are a time to take employer branding action – erring on the side of caution – instead use this ‘downtime’ to build your strategy which can be immediately activated as you hit the ground in January! Don’t wait and hesitate when there’s a way to win the top talent ahead of the pack. From one year- end to the next, the recruitment industry tends to ‘lay down its arms’ now, leaving itself vulnerable and ill-prepared for the rush that hits us all from Day One next year.
A year that’s just round the corner.

So have a very peaceful, prosperous and well-prepared one!