As organizations start to wrap-up their summer hiring campaigns it’s a good time to pause and reflect on seasonal hiring, and the unique challenges and opportunities it represents. Whether an organization is in Hospitality and is ramping up for the summer or winter season, or a professional one is taking advantage of summer break to bring in and start developing new young talent, they will need to constantly refine and update their attraction and retention strategies. Employers that fail to do this will face high turnover and a poor return on their TA (Talent Acquisition) investments and face steep opportunity costs as roles go unfilled and the best talent flows to their competition. What can employers do to build a sustainable and effective seasonal hiring program?
First, you have to offer compelling opportunities for your seasonal hires. The wages must be competitive, the hours must be reasonable, and the benefits must be market-appropriate and fair. A summer programming intern and someone selling Popsicles on the Boardwalk will earn (and expect) different salaries, but they both expect to be paid fairly. We were all kids once, and all remember that one job that you knew you could get at the last minute if you were too lazy to look for a good one. The job with terrible pay and hours, but was always hiring after everyone else had a good job lined up? Whether you’re running a Fortune 500 Company or a hot dog cart, you don’t want to be that employer.
Second, you have to have the right resources and processes in place in order to handle the ebbs and flows of seasonal hiring. This is where a consultants like Velocity HCM can help. Whether you’re hiring a big batch of summer students for your office, or you’re staffing up your retail operation for the Holidays, your systems and personnel need to be flexible enough to accommodate the increased volumes at peak season, while staying efficient during slower periods. Your ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) should have dedicated workflows that are optimized for your seasonal hires, and you should have a process that is optimized for higher volumes and quicker turnarounds. You may need to assign dedicated personnel. Most importantly, as with all recruitment, you need to find your candidates where they are. This means targeted outreach at their schools and homes, communications strategies that align with their expectations, and being able to respond fast. Having a way for applicants to apply to your seasonal jobs quickly and easily is no longer a luxury.
In addition to the above, you still need to do everything that you do for your regular hires. A user-friendly recruitment and onboarding experience will help to ensure higher quality hires, better retention, and a higher rate of return. Whether you’re investing in future superstar employees, or looking for dependable seasonal hires who will return year after year, don’t wait for their first day to give them a good first impression.
If you think that your company could use help with any or all of these important seasonal hiring topics, or if you’d just like to talk through what you’re currently doing to ensure you’re staying current, click the link to schedule a free consultation with one of our solutions consultants. If you’ve already figured this out without our help, we’d love to hear about it; add a comment on our social media, or drop us a message!
