Five Things You Can Do to Improve Your Seasonal Hiring Efforts

When the days are longer, and summer hiring season is in full swing, businesses are in the midst of an all-out blitz, seeking to attract the right candidates and doing their best to keep applicants engaged to fill their open positions. Whether it’s hiring for increased tourism and hospitality roles, looking for specialized construction or agriculture positions, or hiring recent graduates at the local pool, companies are looking to fulfill their seasonal hiring goals in rapid fashion.

Or maybe seasonal hiring initiatives are more focused on end of year holiday high-volume hiring, looking for those part-time workers who can help drive sales, support holiday travel, keep shelves stocked, or ship and deliver packages around the clock. No matter where your seasonal hiring efforts take you, there’s one thing that hiring teams have in common. They need to tackle the list of open requisitions to fill those seasonal roles as fast as possible. Check out our top five ways to improve your seasonal hiring efforts and find the best employees for your business fast.

#1: Try Texting with Candidates

Candidates are busier than ever and expect quick, easy, responsive communication from recruiters. Job seeker expectations are high, especially when it comes to the candidate experience during the seasonal hiring process. One of the most impactful ways you can prioritize candidate communication and engagement is by leveraging candidate texting. According to recent research, there is a 98% open rate for mobile recruiting texts versus a 20% open rate for recruiting emails. Texting is simply a more effective way to reach candidates today.

For seasonal hiring, try candidate texting to automatically engage with candidates, answer questions, provide additional information, and even screen applicants. If they’re hired, automated text-based communications can even help facilitate the onboarding process as well, so new hires can jump into work on day one.

#2: Build Your Employer Brand on Social Media

Candidates want to know what it’s like to work at your company before they start there, even those that may just be there for a short time. Create a communication strategy for your employer brand that includes a social media presence targeted specifically toward seasonal workers. Seasonal hires are bound to check our your social content and see how a company supports temporary hires and features them as part of the organization. Share content and posts that highlight seasonal workers and their impact on the business.

Then make sure you are using social media to expand your talent pool and find qualified seasonal candidates who are engaged and actively looking for their next short-term opportunity. Using social media to source, screen, and engage seasonal candidates can help you better connect with this niche audience even faster.

#3: Engage Your Talent Network with Targeted Seasonal Campaigns

Maybe some good candidates were recently interviewed for a role, but weren’t selected. These silver medalists have actively engaged with your company before and could be interested in future open roles, particularly those that may be available for a seasonal opportunity.

Consider creating targeted campaigns to engage these candidates specifically, highlighting seasonal roles and keeping them interested until the right seasonal position opens up. Remember, seasonal hiring is all about keeping candidates warm and ready to join your business at the ready, so try some of these proactive strategies to keep talent networks engaged:

• Send surveys out to candidates about their experience with your recruiting process. Ask them specifically their interest levels about working in a seasonal capacity.
• Share seasonal employee stories with your talent network on social media or through monthly newsletters. Keep content fresh and engaging.
• Broadcast job openings to your talent network based on candidate profiles and invite them to apply in advance of seasonal hiring periods.

#4: Update Your Career Site

Your career site reflects your employer brand and company culture. It should show potential candidates what it’s like to work for your company. Tailor sections of your career site specifically for seasonal hires. Share stories of these types of roles, featuring experiences in their own words, and even showcase a temporary hire who went on to join your organization full time.

Share your company values, answers to frequently asked questions, and even give company updates on your career site. Think of it as a strong recruiting tool that gives potential applicants, especially those seasonal hires, the value proposition of working for your company. Be sure to include links to open job requisitions, company social media accounts, and recruiter contact information on the main page.

#5: Deploy Recruitment Automation 

If your team is expecting an extra busy seasonal hiring period, make sure that you are leveraging the right recruitment software that can help you streamline the entire hiring process. Using automated tools to save time in your seasonal hiring efforts will help your company find better seasonal candidates. Use automation to perform manual tasks and keep up with high volumes of seasonal applicants. Technology like automated sourcing can help your SMB maximize hiring outcomes and decrease the time to fill open roles.

Start Connecting with Top Candidates for Peak Hiring Seasons

Obviously, the best time to plan your seasonal hiring efforts are before they start. So whether you’re just coming off of the busy summer hiring season or are gearing up for holiday hiring, make sure you have the people, process, and technology you need to tackle the influx of seasonal hires. Want more insights on finding and hiring top talent? Subscribe to the JazzHR blog or check out our hiring resources to stay up-to-date on the latest recruiting insights.