5 Mistakes Employers Make When Hiring for Summer Positions

With the summer approaching, it’s the time of year where businesses compete to hire the best talent for the upcoming season. It can be a challenge to make a sudden expansion to your team of employees, and you can be sure that there are mistakes employers make all the time. Here are 5 common ones you can sidestep in order to make the most of this critical period!

Not planning ahead

Having a game plan when it comes to the seasonal hiring period can make all the difference when it comes to staffing your team for the summer. While most employers view this as a task to be addressed as the season approaches, the most successful businesses know that developing a pipeline of talent can save them time, money, and hassle.

Practicing passive recruiting is a great way to prepare for high-volume hiring events. By identifying and connecting with top talent throughout the year, you’ll have a ready-to-contact list of candidates for the summer. Filling these roles will become a whole lot easier – plus, they are more likely to perform better as you have previously established a relationship with them.

TIP: HigherMe’s Talent Pool is a great way to practice passive hiring. This platform will allow you to connect with candidates and mark them for future positions.

Depending solely on traditional job boards

While online job boards can help you acquire applications, they often don’t provide the level of talent you’re looking for. Exploring and investing in alternative recruitment options can boost your chances of finding the right individuals for the job.

Consider HigherMe’s Text-to-Apply service, which allows employers to convert their walk-in traffic into a new source of applicants. This method not only opens up a new pool of candidates, but it’s also a highly popular application method amongst millennials. In fact, candidates who apply through Text-to-Apply are 8 times more likely to get hired than those sourced from Indeed or Craigslist.

Not knowing what you’re looking for

One of the biggest mistakes a hiring manager can make is entering the seasonal hiring process with the sole goal of hiring X number of workers. Introducing a slew of new employees to your core team can affect the dynamic of your work environment, which could end up affecting productivity during a crucial time for the business.

Take some time to consider your existing employees and what types of individuals would bring out the best in them professionally. This doesn’t necessarily mean hiring people just like them – rather, consider what types of skills and qualities would complement them in order to create a stronger and more effective team.

Hiring with only short-term goals in mind

While your job posting may specify “seasonal hires”, the reality is some of these employees may become permanent members of your team. It’s important to consider this fact when interviewing your candidates for the summer.

One highly effective practice is asking your candidates during the interview if they’d be interested in shifting to a full-time role with the team should an opportunity present itself. Be sure to frame the question so the interviewee doesn’t feel that their answer will have an impact on their candidacy – however, this will save you time down the road should you find yourself with an immediate opening to fill.

Screening solely based on qualifications

Sifting through dozens of resumes can be a chore, and it can be easy to discard the ones that don’t have any previous experience in the field. However, an individual’s success with a business is more often than not based on their work-ethic and chemistry with the team.

Consider the role you are hiring for, and the skills required to be successful. If the position isn’t technical in nature, chances are success in this role lies in the personality and professional disposition of the employee. Job seekers at HigherMe have the option of creating Video Cover Letters – these are a great way to gauge a candidate’s fit with your team and open position, which will ultimately increase your chances of hiring the right person!

What are the biggest challenges you face when hiring for summer positions? Our team at HigherMe is prepared to help your business meet your hiring needs all year round. Connect with us at contact@higherme.com to learn more!