Seasonal Hiring Isn’t Easy

In preparation for the coming holiday season, many companies are in need a larger workforce to handle increased production levels. But competition for candidates during the holidays can be stiff. Here are 5 ways to ensure that your company is attracting the best candidates possible during this holiday season.

Start Early and Set Hard Deadlines

As the holiday season ramps up, life at work will only get increasingly stressful. That is why it is important to start searching for seasonal help early. Hiring seasonal help early provides a safeguard against being overworked or understaffed later on. When things get busy, it is often too easy to fall behind in the hiring process, leaving current staff swamped and unhappy. Hiring early is also important because you want adequate time to train your employees in order to maximize efficiency.

Post a Sponsored Job

The hiring process begins by releasing your job listing to the public. The problem is that everyone knows this. Job listing search engines such as Indeed receive up to 230,000 new jobs every month. That’s a lot of competition. To ensure that your posting differentiates itself among the sea of available employment opportunities, you can pay to sponsor your job listing on platforms such as Monster and Indeed. This relatively inexpensive process far increases the likelihood that the perfect candidate will click your job listing, among the thousands of others.

Be Flexible in Work Schedules

Regardless of who you are, everybody has a life outside of work. The holiday season puts a special emphasis on building and maintaining relationships with friends and family. For your job posting to be as attractive as possible to potential candidates, allow for flexible work schedules if possible. This does not necessarily mean you have to let employees choose their own hours. For example, flexible work schedules can be as simple as excusing workers who show up 5 minutes late to their shift due to traffic or harsh weather conditions.

Offer Competitive Benefits

Beyond accommodating for different work schedules, employers can also offer employees a benefits package. A typical benefits package in Canada might include a small amount of Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Disablement Insurance, Extended Health, Dental, and Employee Assistance Programs. Even if it can seem expensive, benefit packages for temporary workers can do wonders in the long run. Gord Donas, a former human resources consultant at Morneau Sobeco says that “benefits are quite simply a requirement when it comes to attracting and retaining staff”.

Create a Positive Work Environment

Finally, a positive work environment is important because it is conducive to employee satisfaction and productivity. Keep in mind that seasonal workers may return to the business next season, turn into customers, or be great referral sources for the future. Building a positive relationship with the worker and the business can be beneficial in the long run. One way to create a positive work environment is to include seasonal workers in events and competitions going on in the company to make them feel part of the team, according to Carisa Miklusak, CEO of tilr.

In an economy that is booming and bustling, hundreds of thousands of jobs are being posted every month. Hiring seasonal help may not be as simple as it once was, so use these tips in creating your own seasonal hiring strategy. Another scientifically-proven method in hiring the best talent is to implement the Predictive Index System®. The Predictive Index System® administers cognitive and behavioural assessments to job candidates in order to determine who would be the best fit for your company. Click here to find out more about the Predictive Index System®.