Resolve to make the best of candidates’ new year’s resolutions

Jo Faragher

It’s that time of year again when recruitment watchers start to predict a huge swathe of people changing jobs in the new year. Anyone remember the last time a survey was issued with the headline ‘Everyone to return to work in January happy and satisfied’?

The latest estimate comes from CV database CV-Library, which claims that around 7.7m of the UK’s workers will decide to get a new job in 2016. With just over 31 million people in jobs, according to the Office for National Statistics, this equates to more than a quarter of the workforce. Of course, there’s a huge difference between ‘thinking about moving’ and actually doing something about it, so these surveys are always pretty subjective.

CV-Library’s study found that a new year’s resolution for more than half of workers will be to improve their career, while around a third report feeling unhappy returning to their jobs in January. Two weeks out of the office? I’m surprised it’s not more.

But if recruiters and hiring managers are to make the most of the candidates’ resolutions and career moves, what should they be thinking about?

• Work with clients on attraction: some of those passive candidates that felt comfortable during 2015 are now emerging into the market, so make sure you have something unique to offer them.
• Accept that traditional career paths are a thing of the past. As Lee Biggins, CV-Library founder says: “Job-hopping no longer holds such negative connotations. With options such as flexi-time and remote working now more accessible than ever, candidates looking to find their perfect fit in 2016 are in an ideal position.”
• Think about reward and recognition: January is a prime time for workers to be considering their monetary worth. But this isn’t just about salary – what can you offer as an organisation that a competitor can’t, and how will you recognize a job well done?
• Be strategic about workforce planning. Don’t rely on contingency recruitment and hire only when there is a vacancy. What projects will you be working on in two, three years’ time? Will you develop those skills in-house or bring them in?

Seven million people moving jobs in the new year, if it does happen, could create a lot of turmoil for some managers. But the upside is there are many more good candidates on the market, so it pays to act quickly and think ahead.