by Jake Stiles, Ron Cantrell and David Portney
Stiles Associates
The last quarter of the year is the perfect time to address hiring needs.
That may seem counterintuitive, as many companies often use this time enjoying the holidays and planning for the next calendar year. However, it’s precisely those reasons — plus a couple more — why the final two months of the year is the window to get ahead of the competition for the industry’s top talent.
Much of the corporate world takes a backseat in hiring senior executives during this time, but that doesn’t mean the A-players are necessarily less available. In fact, if they’re also taking time off, they may have more time to interview for open roles. For those executives actively looking for their next opportunity, the more likely that prepared and proactive hiring managers reap the rewards.
Spending time with loved ones over the holidays also causes many executives to “check in” with their lives, including how their careers fit into them. This could mean anything from a desire to relocate to wanting to switch industries, functional roles or compensation expectations.
On the employer side, corporate leaders are looking ahead to Q1 by setting a strategic plan and budget while reviewing their processes throughout the organization. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have next year’s leaders as part of that planning? We certainly think so, as this allows a company to truly hit the ground running on January 2nd instead of just beginning the hiring process, which could take 1-3 months based on a variety of factors. This doesn’t even factor in onboarding, which can take longer the higher up the person is on the org chart. Starting that over the holiday season to coincide with strategic planning can ensure they’re fully integrated by the time the new year kicks off.
In some cases, companies have a budget surplus or unspent allocations that expire at the end of the year. If they’re using retained executive recruiting services like Stiles Associates, it’s best to start the process as soon as possible to enact a payment plan that works for all parties.
We understand it’s sometimes not possible to quickly hire the next long-term transformation leader in time for the new year, but if there’s a leadership gap that does need to be filled in that time, an Interim hire could be the perfect solution. Executive Interim Management addresses short-term talent needs that arise as a result of acquisitions, unexpected vacancies, the launching of critical special assignments or for strategic planning and operational analyses.
If hiring an Interim leader is unnecessary and companies feel they can wait until 2025, we do highly recommend at least reaching out to us this holiday season to simply discuss your hiring needs and get the ball rolling. The most efficient way to hire is having a deep understanding of the current market and having a plan, which we can certainly assist with as hiring needs are evaluated.
Submit this brief form and a member of the Stiles team will coordinate with you to discuss a hiring strategy for your company: