The best time of year to actively recruit is during the first three weeks of January. In early January, we usually see a small uptick in candidates responding to job advertising—but a big jump in candidates who engage with our direct recruiting efforts.

In January, your potential future employees might not yet be actively pursuing new opportunities, but somehow, a new year makes them more receptive to having a conversation about a new role. We’re not exactly sure why this happens (we have a few theories), but we’ve seen it without fail for two decades.

There is no other time of year that confers as big of an advantage for employers who are prepared to seize the moment. Organizations that plan now for January hiring can often schedule their interviews, make their job offers, and get them accepted before competing employers even have their ads posted.

Here’s the thing: most hiring managers are swamped in December and put off all the nitty gritty tasks like writing job descriptions or getting approvals until January, delaying their recruiting process until late in the month or even February.

That means there are a few precious weeks with more candidates on the market and fewer employers who are engaging them. That’s the sweet spot you want to hit.

So, What Does This Mean for You?

It depends on the success of your current hiring strategy.

➡ If you have a budget for new roles in 2025 but haven’t started recruiting yet, you can put that budget to better use by making those hires early in the year.

➡ If you’re already posting job advertising and are getting interest from a decent number of candidates with the right skills, good news. You’ll probably see a few more people apply in January. If you’re already doing well, you’ll do a little better. That might be enough to find someone great.

➡ If you’re currently posting job advertising but aren’t hearing from enough qualified candidates, the January bump might not help you very much. Ad responses only go up marginally. And if your message isn’t reaching the right people now, you’re probably out of alignment with the market in some way. Look at your position description, job title, and salary, and compare those to everyone else who is trying to hire the same people. One or a combination of these is likely the issue.

Opportunity Favors the Ready

If your recruiting efforts aren’t getting you in front of the right candidates, now might be the time to actively engage more candidates by partnering with an executive search firm like Staffing Advisors. A dedicated recruiting team can help you take advantage of January’s beautifully motivated and receptive candidate pool, with relatively little competition from other organizations.

If you run a fast clean hiring process, you can be making job offers before your competition has even started recruiting. But if you wait, those same top candidates might end up working for your competition instead.

We’d be happy to help. Contact us and let’s have a conversation about what you need and how we might be able to help you reach your 2025 hiring goals.

Resources to Help You Hire Better in 2025