20 Years, 20 Lessons – Q4 Hiring: Four Reasons to Hire a Recruitment Consultancy in Q4

by David Berwick, Director • Lead Software Engineering Recruitment Specialist

Added on: 30th August 2024

As teams return to normality after the holidays and the end of school breaks, teams get ready for the last quarter of the year. In recruitment, the fourth quarter is usually our peak time.

As businesses resume their hiring activity after the summer break, hiring managers often realise that Q4 brings unique challenges in hiring. Today, we will discuss why partnering with a recruitment consultancy during this period can offer significant advantages.

The Fourth-Quarter Recruitment Sprint Explained

You may be wondering what happens in Q4 that changes recruitment dynamics. Well, many companies have unspent budgets that they need to use before the year ends. This often leads to a surge in hiring to fill previously delayed positions or meet year-end targets.

Businesses often assess their talent needs in Q4 to ensure they are well-positioned for the following year and start looking for top talent to support new projects and initiatives or to replace outgoing employees. After the summer season, companies traditionally must also deal with increasing staff turnover.

A company advertises that they're actively hiring — The Q4 hiring sprint is a peak time in recruitment when companies resume hiring activities, and many candidates decide to quit after their summer holidays.

What about temporary and fixed-term contracts?

As you can imagine, Q4 hiring also responds to an increased demand for temporary and seasonal workers in areas such as sales, marketing or logistics ahead of the Christmas campaign. Many contracts and project-based roles in Technology and Digital come to an end in December, leading to a need for replacements or extensions. Consequently, most companies often start recruiting in Q4 to avoid talent gaps when the new year begins.

Four Reasons to Partner with a Recruitment Consultancy in Q4

1. Access to a Broader Talent Pool

Have you noticed how everyone seems to change jobs in Autumn? It’s not just the fact that companies are hiring more in Q4. The truth is that the return to the routine after the summer holidays makes professionals more open to new opportunities.

This is excellent news for employers. However, talent competition is still high in candidate-driven job markets like Technology and Digital. You cannot rely exclusively on the candidates applying for the job you advertise.

So, how do you connect with experienced, skilled talent?

After 20+ years in recruitment, we have built extensive networks and can connect you with top talent who might not be actively applying but are ready for the right offer. When you partner with a trusted recruitment consultancy like Adria Solutions, you can tap into our rich talent pool to target the best candidates for your roles.

2. Efficient Use of Remaining Budgets

In the last quarter of the year, companies often have remaining budgets that must be allocated wisely. Reputable recruitment consultancies will help you maximise these budgets, speed up the hiring process and reduce hiring delays.

Even after considering recruitment fees, working with a trusted talent partner makes sense from a cost-saving point of view because you’ll make the most of your financial resources while maintaining hiring quality.

A female hiring manager seems stressed about hitting her company's Q4 hiring goals without the support of a recruitment partner — Managers often struggle with the growing number of recruitment tasks and admin in Q4. Partnering with a recruitment consultancy saves you the stress, so you can focus on making that final push for a strong year-end finish.

3. Meeting Year-End Goals and Deadlines

Q4 is a time of intense activity, with businesses racing to meet their annual targets. Whether you need to fill urgent vacancies or boost your workforce for peak season, time is of the essence. Recruitment consultancies can accelerate the candidate sourcing and screening process, minimising the risk of missing critical deadlines.

4. Strategic Workforce Planning for the New Year

Strategic insights and talent planning are part of the service. For us, it’s essential to understand your long-term business goals, anticipate your future talent needs and develop a recruitment strategy that ensures your organisation is well-positioned as the new year begins.