“Recruiting in August, what’s the point?” one might ask. For the majority of French companies, the month of August often rhymes with a drop in activity and quietude. Yet, this seemingly quiet period can be a great source of opportunities. Here are six good reasons to take advantage of the month of August to move forward with your recruitments.
Recruit in August for the love of detail
As a recruiter, HR manager or founder of your company, you’re used to running around. Your recruiting processes are efficient and perfectly optimized, designed to move fast. What if you took advantage of August to focus on the details that usually elude you?
Since applicants are scarcer during the summer, it’s an opportunity to focus more on the resumes you have at your disposal. In other words, take the opportunity to get to know the candidates! Don’t hesitate to talk to them as much as you need to, to meet them several times… All the things you don’t always have the opportunity to do in a hurry!
It’s a good time to recruit young college graduates
Many young graduates start their job search immediately after graduation. Their objective: to enter the workforce as quickly as possible. They are therefore generally available during the summer period that ends their studies.
Does your company want to recruit junior profiles fresh out of school? Take advantage of the inertia of the month of August to stand out and strengthen your online presence. It’s an excellent time to recruit young talent determined to start their career in the fall!
The right thing to do: pay special attention to unsolicited applications received during the summer. Candidates are well aware that recruiters’ attention is increased tenfold in August, since competition is scarce. The most motivated among them will not hesitate to seize this opportunity to stand out and show their interest for your company.
To learn more about recruiting young graduates, read our article on recruiting on social networks.
Recruiting in August to make candidates feel comfortable
It’s a phenomenon that no company can escape: in the summer, the atmosphere at work is calmer, quieter, and certainly more confidential. Some of your most shy or anxious talents will appreciate this calm and will reveal themselves more easily during their interviews. It is also an opportunity to pay special attention to their soft skills.
Anticipating the needs of the fall
Or the calm before the storm. Behind its apparent innocence, the month of August is a pivotal period that can help you prepare for the start of the new school year and launch your September recruitments. After all, the absence of your colleagues does not necessarily prevent you from advancing on your personal objectives, quite the contrary!
What are your company’s recruitment needs, the positions that have been waiting to be filled for a few months, the future departures that will need to be replaced? The more you anticipate the back-to-school rush, the less overwhelmed you will feel when the time comes.
Recruit in August to be ready for the new school year
On many levels, back-to-school can be stressful and challenging. To maintain growth, a company needs available and motivated troops, ready to finish the calendar year on a high note. Finalizing some strategic hires in August would allow your company to start the new year on a high note!
Take advantage of the month of August to study certain strategic subjects
Finally, we’ll end with the most obvious, but most important advice: the quiet month of August is a great opportunity to focus on certain essential, but sometimes neglected, subjects. Take advantage of it, for example, to look at optimizing your candidate experience, your employer brand or sourcing strategy… It’s the time or never to experiment with new things!
💡 If you have an application management tool such as Jobaffinity, you already enjoy a solid CV library built up over time and your recruitments. Take advantage of your available time to reorganize this important pool of candidates! This way, you will be able to find relevant CVs more easily during future rush periods.
