The Cost Of Delaying Your IT Recruitment Process In Q4

When it comes to the last few months of year, you might think that delaying your IT recruitment until January is the best move to make. However, by doing so you will likely be missing out on securing fantastic tech talent and risk affecting the pace of your projects.

Typically, hiring at the end of the year is not preferred due to staff absences during the holiday period and the old, “Well, it can wait until the new year” attitude towards more strenuous tasks. However, there are many benefits to hiring in December, such as lower competition over high demand IT professionals, and a great candidate onboarding experience, which means that delaying your IT recruitment until January should be banished from your mind.

Why delaying your IT recruitment until January is a bad idea

The risk of starting next year on the back foot

Delaying your IT recruitment until the new year, means you might miss out on ending the year on a high note. Injecting new talent into your IT department at the end of the year might give your projects the boost they need to start on a good footing in January.

By postponing hiring great IT talent until the new year, you will starve projects and other essential work of additional resources in December. This could have a knock-on effect with your team who might already be overstretched and demotivated. The new year is usually the time employees start considering whether they want to look for new job and if your current employees feel burnt out at the end of the year and dread returning in January, you might find you have even more vacancies to fill.

Increased risks and issues over Christmas

You may find that your lowered headcount towards mid December causes you operational issues and potential security risks. With many offices closing over Christmas, and employees wanting to take additional time off to spend time with family, these factors could increase your risk of struggling to manage network problems and even unexpected cyberattacks.

By being proactive and hiring IT contractors in December to cover for absent employees, your organisation will be able to continue at peak efficiency, without creating additional pressures for your permanent employees during the festive period. For industries like ecommerce and retail, Christmas is not a down period which can withstand issues not being addressed until employees return in January. Additionally, the increased headcount could support your upcoming IT projects, meaning your employees aren’t playing catch up when they return in the new year.

A smaller budget

If your IT department’s budget is renewed every January, the leftover budget in December is primed to spend on investing in new talent or in contractors to add temporary extra value. If you come under budget at the end of the year and do not spend it on hiring, you might run the risk of your new budget being reduced.

It’s always financially a good idea to spend your budget as projected and hiring needed tech talent, whether just on a contract basis or a permanent hire, could improve your output and productivity.

Talent pool reduction

By delaying your IT recruitment, you will likely experience more competition in the market. January can be one of the busiest times in the recruitment space, with budget refreshes encouraging many businesses to hire.

This increased competition can give you a disadvantage as you try to hire in the first few weeks of January. In reality, the best tech talent does not wait around. So, with mounted competition for each candidate in January, you will struggle to secure the best, particularly if you are a smaller business with a less competitive compensation package. Hiring at the end of the year, in comparison, when fewer businesses are recruiting, can give you a better chance of securing the talent you need.

Longer times to hire

You may think that delaying your IT recruitment until the new year means everyone will have the same renewed focus, meaning your internal processes will be efficient and fast – right? Well, realistically, January can be a difficult time to organise a recruitment campaign. Between post-holiday blues and everyone trying to catch up on any other projects or business-as-usual tasks that they already delayed until the new year, there is less focus on a new recruitment drive.

By hiring in December when projects have naturally slowed and workload is reduced, there is more time to undertake interviews and to devote to the recruitment process, which will benefit you as you move into the new year.

Risk of further delays to projects

Hiring in December could ensure that that you are able to kick off IT projects straight away in the new year. By waiting, you run the risk of further delays and unforeseen challenges. For example, you may find the perfect IT professional in January, but if they are a more senior IT professional, they will likely have at least a 2 month notice period, which may have a knock-on effect on projects.

Additionally, if a new starter doesn’t show up to begin work or needs further training, you might find that the IT projects you were hoping to start by mid-January at the latest, get pushed further. Many IT projects are time sensitive and businesses cannot afford to delay projects beyond the agreed start dates. By not postponing recruitment, you can ensure that any issues in the recruitment process are dealt with before the new year starts, meaning your team will be in a great position in January.

Fewer opportunities for team bonding

Hiring in December can really benefit your onboarding experience for new hires. Work socials occur more in December, and people are generally happier and keener to socialise after work. This gives new tech starters a greater opportunity to meet and bond with their team members. After work socials and Christmas events show the best of your organisation, giving new starters a fantastic first impression of your business.

However, if you decide to delay your IT recruitment until January, the onboarding experience for new starters may be a little subdued. As employees naturally have to budget after overindulging during the festive period, there can be less motivation for work socials or bonding, leading to new starters struggling to feel integrated with the team.

VIQU is an award-winning IT recruitment agency who are experts in helping you secure the tech talent you need. Don’t delay your IT recruitment until January and get in touch with our team here.