When to advertise
Including: Is it worth recruiting in July and August?
Date:
25 July 2005
Source:
Recruitment marketing
Q. I need to recruit to a senior HR specialist position. With so many people on holiday, is it a complete waste of time advertising in July or August?
Question submitted by: Joe O'Keeffe, Chartered FCIPD
A. The UK is moving away from a shared, national four- or six-week summer holiday break; instead more and more people are spreading their time off across the year. But this change has yet to sink into the recruitment marketplace, which is why July/August continues to be a slower time for job advertising.
So don’t assume that because other employers shun the summer, you should too. Many people considering a move will allow reasonable time to find the right vacancy. For an employer, the summer can present a good shop window: with fewer ads to compete with, your booking will enjoy a higher profile and greater visibility within a publication.
A lot depends on the medium you advertise in.
National and regional dailies, with their one-day shelf life, may not offer the same value for money over the summer holidays as trade press publications. If someone is away for part of the summer, they are still likely to open a trade journal or business magazine where vacancies (and other content) remain current for several weeks or more. But a two-week old newspaper will be too out of date to be worth the effort.
That said, while running recruitment ads in the summer can make sense, it may be worth adjusting the timings involved. Consider lengthening closing dates to allow for would-be applicants who are away for a week or two; and accept that arranging interviews may take slightly longer.
Response supplied by: Joanna Marsh, Commercial manager, People Management