Getting the right people with the right skills may be the most pressing issue your PR agency or department faces this year, as suggested by new research from Acas, the workplace experts.
The good news is, the start of the year is a peak time to recruit, as confirmed by data from PRWeek Jobs, which showed that 21% more people applied for a job on the specialist PR job site in January 2018 than the average over 12 months.* The number of people viewing jobs on the site saw a 36% spike in January 2018, and the number of people visiting the site was 35% higher than the 12-month average.**
This might not sound like breaking news to you, as January has long been regarded as a peak time for job applications after a slow December. But what these figures do show is that the start of the year significantly tops other application spikes in early spring and autumn.
There is evidence to link the new year spike with the #NewYearNewJob trend. For example, a YouGov survey in 2017 ranked ‘Find a new job’ as one of the top 10 New Year’s resolutions. So if you’re looking to attract top PR talent, this is a reminder of why now is a peak time to join the ‘resolution revolution’ and make your investment work harder for you.
Here are three tips to bear in mind when planning your recruitment strategy and to help you make the most of this peak jobhunting season:
- Consider your options beyond a standard job listing to get the biggest bang for your buck
- Opt for recruitment solutions that offer a minimum number of guaranteed applications
- Look for opportunities to showcase your company culture and opportunities (90% of candidates consider an employer’s brand when applying for a job, according to a 2016 HBM Recruitment survey)
Whilst there are still opportunities to jump on the New Year bandwagon now, ideally, you should aim to continuously build your employer brand over time so that the right talent is aware of your company and why they should want to work for you. That way you’re not left relying on a big recruitment push at the point of an urgent hiring need, tempting though it can be.
PRWeek Jobs can help you devise a recruitment campaign to suit your hiring needs. Email prcamembersjobs@haymarket.com.
*Source: Madgex, 1 December 2017 - 30 November 2018
**Source: Google Analytics, 1 December 2017 - 30 November 2018