The slow-to-rise boozy days spent over Christmas are still fresh enough in people’s minds that the first few weeks back to work can be slow off the ground. However, with a third of workers expected to use January as a launch pad for a new career, recruiters can’t afford to wait in the wings. We’ve taken a look at some of the ways in which you can use January to get ahead in recruitment.

Reconnect with your network in January

Pick up the phone and find out how your candidates and clients are doing.

  • Are they using the New Year as a line in the sand to move jobs?
  • Are they considering new avenues in business?
  • Do they know of other opportunities or candidates that could build your network?

At its heart, recruitment is about nurturing relationships, which is why the post-Christmas period is a perfect time to strengthen your grip on your network and reacquaint yourself with the candidates you have ready to deploy.

Build the pipeline ahead of the competition

Some recruiters might anticipate January as a slow month and be less quick to chase leads or secure deals. A fair amount even take extended holidays into January with this in mind.

This leaves the door open to get in ahead of competition. Clients and candidates that are readjusting back to work may be more willing to engage with a recruiter if there’s less noise from the industry.

Research from Crunch Accounting which suggests over ten million workers will entertain the idea of moving in January, have continued to say that of those workers most will wait for January’s pay day to hand their notice in. This allows recruiters to build the pipeline ahead and roadmap their placements accordingly.

Use January to invest in change

January is the perfect time to review the previous year in question and implement some changes, perhaps utilise some of the innovations appearing in recruitment, or reassess the finance behind your agency.

This might also be a good time to outsource some of your big data needs, improve your lead generation, review your KPIs, or perhaps consider branching further into social media platforms.

Pick the low hanging fruit

In addition to being a month known for too much alcohol, too much food and too little memory of the office do, December is a month known for annual appraisals.

This means come January a lot of passive candidates might be open to offers after a browbeating or less positive review, or perhaps they see the new year as a good opportunity for a fresh start.

Make January fun

It can be easy to let morale slip as the festive hangover and distant payday gets under your skin, which is why January needs added consideration towards incentives.

There needs to be a performance related pot waiting at the end of January’s gloomy rainbow that reminds recruiters of why they graft.

 

Be productive in January and you’ll be sure to start the new year off in (the right) style!