Summer is here and its arrival is signified by the first week of July being one of shortest work weeks of the year.  This is the week when the recruitment industry likes to put their rumor mill in high gear and starts spreading the myth “no one hires in the summer.”    This gives average performing Recruitment Professionals the opportunity to go on an extended guilt free vacation.  The Recruitment Professional still working back in the office is just like the good Farmer.  They understand summer is the best time of the year to generate revenue.

Farmers refer to summer as the “growing season.”  The growing season is defined as the period of time during the year that has the longest, warmest days and optimal amount of precipitation to produce a crop of economic value.  Farmers work an extra 5 hours a day during the summer to prepare for the upcoming harvest that will get them through the winter.  Recruitment Professionals that understand this concept put it do good use by qualifying additional candidates, meeting more clients and attending new networking events. 

Recruitment Professionals use their candidate’s summer vacations to their own advantage.  When a candidate is on vacation they are available to come to the Recruitment Professional’s office during business hours.  These same candidates will have the flexibility to meet with more hiring managers and allow the recruitment professional to set up additional interviews.  Candidates that are not worrying about what they may be missing at work, or worrying about who may be missing them at their office will now present confidently and knowledgeable to your client.  Recruitment Professionals that use their candidate’s vacations to their advantage have more chances to place a highly sought after candidates.

Motivated Recruitment Professionals use the summer to build stronger relationships with their clients.  Whether they are taking clients out for a round of golf or taking them for coffee, the Recruitment Professional understands that everyone is more relaxed during the summer. These relaxed times offer opportunities to personally strengthen relationships, affording the chances to build profitable long term business partnerships.

Depending on your industry and or sector, networking events are everywhere during the summer. This is the time of the year when everyone is out after work attending golf tournaments, boat cruises, lectures and even simple networking events.  Remember, a networking event doesn’t need to say “networking” to offer you the access to both client and or candidates.  Walking through a trade show can give you access to observe how a sales individual performs their job or to listen to how a software programmer demonstrating a new product. Prospective clients and candidates at trade shows are already in the mindset to speak with you, in addition to providing you their full contact information.  Why not take a lunch hour and go to a trade show?

There is no short cutting the growing season, no matter how hard Recruitment Professionals try to change its length, year after year.  There is frenzy in the recruitment industry for the first two weeks of September to secure any and all interviews clients may have available.  This frenzy is because recruiter professionals bought into all the rumors of a slack summer. The new rumor in September will be “clients are back from summer vacation with a fever to hire anyone they can.”  In all actuality, it is Recruitment Professional that has suddenly realized the end of the year is right around the corner and they haven’t made their numbers.  The increase in activity we see in the recruitment industry in September is not productivity, its panic!

Recruitment Professionals utilizing the growing season to their full advantage will be reaping the rewards.  Harvest time for these individuals is the reward of several new starts within the first two weeks of September. 

P.S. September interviews = November starts.

Cheers,

Rebecca B. Sargeant

Recruiter's Career Coach