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Job Hunting and Recruiting in the New Year

By Siobhan on

As we arrive bleary-eyed back at work in January, clutching the last box of mince pies and fumbling to put the kettle on, it can seem like this is the most uneventful time of the year. We know, however, that this is a fantastic time to be job hunting or looking for a new employee.

After the hubbub of Christmas is over and the excitement of the New Year has died down, many people come back to work and decide that they’re ready for something new, the next challenge and step in their career. A new year can be very inspirational! Likewise, large and small companies typically want to add to their team for the challenges of the year ahead. And, of course, if your employees are handing in their notice to head off to pastures new, then you’ll be needing people to fill their shoes anyway. Just under 25% of all employers will be looking to recruit new candidates in the first three months of 2017.

New Year, New Vacancies

In January, generally, there’s a happy match between the numbers of recruiting employers and job hunting candidates. Over the last two years especially – and often over the last five years or so – the start of the year (January to March) has represented one of the highest points for job vacancies in the year. We see no reason why 2017 shouldn’t go the same way! Advertised vacancies also rose starting in October of last year. This has been credited to employers getting a head start on recruitment for the new year; you’ve got to be ready to attract the traditional new year’s jobseekers.

We’re obviously not saying that you should up and quit your job just because there are roles out there. Or that you should hire someone simply because there are people looking for jobs. Rather, if you’ve been thinking of leaving your role – if you’re ready for a new challenge or the next step on the ladder – or you’ve been wanting to take on a new person to join your team and your company, then this is a great time to do it!

Our Role As Recruiters

As more good candidates join the job market in 2017, niche recruiters, echoing the trend with niche job boards, will become even more useful. Especially useful for large companies who need to fill many different roles and don’t have time to build relationships with candidates in different sectors themselves. That’s where we come in!

It has been calculated that HR directors spend approximately a month recruiting for any given position in their organisation. Each phase of the process takes more than four days; the two most time-consuming aspects of the recruitment process are the initial CV screening and interviews. Of course, you definitely have to do the actual candidate interviews themselves. But our CV sorting process not only finds the relevant candidates, but also narrows the field down. So the only candidates you interview are the ones who are committed, fully briefed, and enthusiastic to work for you.

And we’re not just useful for companies – job hunting can be exhausting, and we can help share the load. You get tailored job searches, expert advice, and feedback from interviews. (A good consultant will always work hard to get feedback for you!). And, should you get offered a role, salary negotiations and everything else taken care of!

Could We Help You?

We placed loads of candidates and filled heaps of jobs in 2016. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be one of the candidates we place, or yours be one of the jobs that we fill, in 2017. Happy New Year!