One of the most common stressors for companies is knowing when to hire. Many lay out hiring plans late in the year while in budgeting mode and start hiring in Q1 when top talent is willing to make a move.  But attaching seasonality to the decision can be a roadblock to finding the best talent — especially if waiting until you’re desperate.

Apply a Hum/Sing/Shout Approach

Here’s how it works:

  • Hum: Keep the underlying rhythm of your employer branding consistent to ensure that your opportunities remain in front of the top talent in your industry.
  • Sing: 60-90 days out from when you need to have someone on board, get a little louder — not just about the open position, but about your company culture. 
  • Shout: Within a 45-60 day window it’s time to shout about the position itself and the opportunities associated with joining your team. 

Build Your Hum

Developing a strong hiring brand narrative, a hum, ensures that you’re always “on” from a talent attraction standpoint and builds recognition. By positioning yourself as a value-add while sharing meaningful insights in their feed, candidates are likely to stumble upon you and begin following your analysis and perspective. Their trust in your company grows long before you ever connect with them directly. Focus on the four pillars of an effective corporate content strategy: Market, Product, Leadership, and Mission.

By the time you start to the sing and shout when you have a role, potential candidates are primed to pay attention. They already have a clear idea of who they can become when they work for your organization.

Take Timing Out of It

You should always be looking for talent. Otherwise, you will only be getting the people who happen to be available during that specific window — and they may not be the best people for your team.  Once you get out of the seasonality trend, you can develop a bench strength mindset that encourages you to constantly be networking, connecting, and sharing the vision of your organization. By learning how to hum, you can add depth to your existing team and find the best people to grow your organization, regardless of when you hire them.