The year end recruitment standstill

Many employers take the lead from the public service over many HR initiatives in Singapore. One of the most significant would be the 13th month bonus, otherwise known as the Annual Wage Supplement (AWS).

It is given out to employees towards the end of December and amount to a month of salary. Because of that, recruitment activities across organizations normally drop to a low as potential candidates are clinging on to receiving that AWS.

The world doesn’t have to come to a standstill. Recruitment strategies just need to be fine-tuned during this period of time to ensure your business still goes on.

Be clear – Many jobseekers are already reviewing their options in December even though they won’t be planning to move after the year. But many also automatically assumed that current positions require current candidate to fulfil. Many of our clients are actually open to waiting or even buying out notice. Mention this clearly in your communications to avoid any mis-assumptions.

Be known – With news of companies laying off almost every other day, the upcoming choices of jobseekers are shrinking. And no one will logically apply for positions that had such exposure in the recent news. Media typically would however want to balance the bad news with good. So if your company is still hiring, leverage on the media’s balancing act and let the public know that you are still recruiting.

Be different – Traditional means of job advertisements are getting less effective. People are flipping through the newspapers on their smart phones. That mean less reader is going to come across your sat ads in the papers.  Facebook has more than 2 million local users and LinkedIN has more than a million. These sites are frequented more often than news site. Leveraging on these medium may provide better returns and exposure.

Be smart – Recruitment is not the core business of most organizations and it shouldn’t be. Outsource the work to specialized recruitment agency that does this on a daily basis to reap the best returns. Not only could you free yourself to focus on other important stuffs, you can be exposed to a whole new network of talents that otherwise would never be near your grasp.

Different time calls for different strategies and knowing when to change and being brave enough to will help you tide over the seasonal lull.

Adrian Tan, Managing Director, RecruitPlus Consulting Pte Ltd