The September Surge Hiring Guide: How to Prepare for September Surge

Pre-Surge: Understanding Organizational Priorities

Hiring decision-makers should begin by determining their immediate September surge hiring needs.

Companies can do this by reviewing organizational structures to identify open and immediate position gaps that need to be prioritized when hiring in September. Planning ahead will provide decision-makers and HR teams the peace of mind and confidence to take full advantage of the hiring season.

For companies requiring talent with niche skills, advance planning will allow sufficient time to source hard-to-find candidates or reach out to a staffing partner to expand their reach.

In the rush to fill open positions, hiring decision-makers can also sometimes overlook important details within their recruitment process.

Prior to September Surge hiring activity, hiring decision-makers should review and consider how to enhance their hiring process  The goal is to ensure it is efficient and that sought-after candidates are moved through the process quickly to minimize the risk of losing them to a competitor with a tighter process.

A successful hiring strategy may involve:

• Updating job descriptions
• Confirming benefits and salaries are competitive in the current market
• Verifying next steps after a candidate has been offered a position (such as conducting background checks or calling references) to optimize the onboarding process 

Companies can also consider working with a talent solutions partner to streamline the process from recruitment and hiring through employee productivity. A clean and efficient process, fortified by a strong internal support network, will enable new hires to get up to speed more quickly and become productive contributors faster, which will improve long-term retention.

Mid-Surge: Refining the Recruitment Process

Hiring decision-makers should make sure the candidates they are considering are the best fit for the company’s culture and goals.

One way to do this is to emphasize the company’s employer value proposition (EVP) to all candidates. This makes it easier to touch on topics that are important to candidates, including:

• Company culture
• Employee testimonials
• Organizational efforts pertaining to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

A strong EVP will attract candidates who embrace similar values, which in turn will support retention efforts.

During this phase, it's important to consider the full scope of the candidate’s experience. Too often, employers place an outsized emphasis on hard skills, which can cause them to pass on candidates who may be a great fit.

Instead, consider a candidate’s soft and transferable skills for a better picture of how they may adapt and perform. As AI becomes more integrated into all facets of work, these human-centric skills are becoming increasingly important. In fact, in a recent list of fastest-growing skills, soft skills like conflict mitigation, adaptability and innovative thinking were among the most in demand. Being open to workers with strong soft skills or transferable skill sets can prevent hiring decision-makers from overlooking qualified candidates.

Post-Surge: Planning for the Year Ahead

Once the hiring surge has ended and open positions have been filled, hiring decision-makers should review and assess the season’s hiring activity and plan for next year.

This is a yearlong process that begins with looking at new hire onboarding and considers instances of attrition. By examining the full life cycle of an employee, companies can determine what was and was not effective and make changes where necessary. This may involve rethinking the onboarding process or implementing new employee retention strategies.  

Evaluating the learnings from 2024 will support 2025 September surge hiring effects and strategies. It will provide hiring decision-makers even more time to identify tentative lead time and time-to-hire for highly specialized or niche skillsets. A staffing or talent solutions partner can support you in charting a path forward for planning future contingent workforce needs.

September Surge Support from a Trusted Partner

As hiring decision-makers begin their post-surge analysis, they should consider bringing in a talent solutions partner like Aston Carter.

Aston Carter can help hiring decision-makers think strategically about their hiring goals in the upcoming year, ensuring that hiring efforts support business objectives. Additionally, Aston Carter’s national network of candidates can help employers source specialized talent in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, often with a quicker time to hire.