Even though most recruiters are still sprinting for the final weeks of 2025, it is time to already determine your strategy for recruitment in January. Traditionally, this is the time when there is more movement in the job market and you obviously want to take advantage of that. We share 7 tips to help you get ready for the January peak.
Quick summary
In January, the job market is traditionally a lot more active: candidates orientate en masse on a new step and employers use their new budgets to fill vacancies quickly. This is precisely why it is smart to warm up already in December with campaigns for reach and interaction, so that your target group recognises you when you actually start recruiting in January. Make sure your vacancies and landing pages are solid and that candidates can respond with soft conversions such as WhatsApp, job alerts and lead forms. In addition, tighten your internal processes: make appointments with hiring managers, automate your workflows and prepare your campaigns in advance. Don't forget your talent pools - with nurturing you activate talent that is suddenly open to change in January. Authentic content from employees works especially well during this period, because candidates are looking for honesty and recognition right now. And with an AI Agent for 24/7 follow-up, you won't miss a single candidate, even during holidays or holidays. With the right mix of automation, content and conversion optimisation, you get the most out of the January peak.
In January you need to be there
As soon as the Christmas tree is removed, the number of job searches skyrockets and thousands of professionals update their profiles. For years, platforms such as Indeed and Linkedin have seen a clear peak in search behaviour in the first weeks of the new year. Every recruitment professional will agree: in January it is not a matter of a quiet start-up, you have to pop right away.
That boost comes from two sides: candidates and employers.
- During the holidays, people think about what they want, what makes them happy and resolve to take action. After the holidays, they take the bull by the horns: time to look for another job.
- At the same time, many vacancies come online in January. December's budgets are finalised and that means extra positions can be filled. Hiring managers would like to see this happen as soon as possible and - together with recruiters - get to work energetically. Candidates now also know that this is the time when there is a lot to choose from and make good use of this momentum.
And so the circle is complete!
Responding to the recruitment peak in January: 7 tips
1. Run campaigns in December for reach and interaction
Candidates who do not yet know your organisation will not immediately jump on board the first vacancy they see in January. To persuade someone to apply, it is necessary that the candidate gets to know your organisation first. You do this with awareness and consideration campaigns.
In this type of campaign, you share employee stories, projects you are working on and developments that are interesting for future employees. So no conversion-oriented content, but ads aimed at showing why it is fun to work for you.
It is best to carry out these 'warming-up' campaigns now (November and December), because then in January - when you really hit the ground running with vacancies - you will be able to reap the rewards and be able to steer for applications. Moreover, December is a relatively quiet advertising month, which means you can often advertise more cheaply and thus get more for the same budget.
2. Optimise your vacancies for conversion
You can use recruitment campaigns to attract many visitors to your work-at-home site during the peak period, but if they leave your site without taking any action, you will still not achieve anything. Take on the role of conversion specialist and make sure your vacancies and landing pages look spick and span. The regular application form is now known for its low conversion rate(more than 40% abandon the first form), so you need something extra. Low-threshold response options - such as a WhatsApp pop-up, job alert and lead forms - are the solution and will boost your conversion rate.
Check whether your vacancies are appealing enough. Does the text mention all employment conditions and other benefits? Do you use visual elements to bring the job to life? Does the text focus on the needs of your target group?
3. Internal processes in order
Speed is key when following up on responses, so your post-application processes are at least as important as bringing in candidates.
- Involve hiring managers and make agreements on response times and selection criteria. Keep moments in the calendar free for interviews. This will save you a lot of emailing and phoning back and forth in January.
- Check the workflows in your systems: where can you automate? Can you use AI to speed up processes?
- Define a target for lead time and keep each other focused on this.
4. Use your talent pools
Perhaps they have been somewhat forgotten, but often you can still find hundreds of candidates in your ATS. And there is a good chance that precisely those candidates will be open to taking the next step in the new year. So make sure you make smart use of your talent pools by deploying nurturing campaigns. By doing so, you reactivate the talent in your database and become top-of-mind (again).
Tip: have you let your talent pool gather dust? Then start making contact in time, preferably as early as December. Then you will stand out more than when you have to fight for attention in the heat of the moment - among all the other employers who have set their sights on this candidate.
5. An AI Agent for 24/7 follow-up
During this period, you don't want to let any applicants pass you by. That means you should always respond quickly - to an application or a question. Even if you and the recruitment team are having Christmas drinks or you are taking a New Year's dip. With an AI Agent who communicates with candidates and handles responses quickly and competently, you actually create a colleague who works 24/7. You can be sure that every candidate gets a friendly and professional response according to your guidelines. That's what you want!
Want to see how such an AI Agent works in practice? Read the case about Abbi from AB Werkt.
6. Let employees tell the story
What do you value more? A company that claims to be good at something? Or a review from a customer indicating that this company exceeds expectations in this area? It works exactly the same way with recruitment. Employee stories are your most powerful weapon, especially if they are authentic and personal.
Well, your colleagues are your strongest marketing channel all year round, but after the holidays even more so. Candidates are then in the middle of their reflection mode and especially want to hear real stories: Who works there? Why do they stay? What does it give them?
As application expert Aaltje Vincent nicely says: "Applying for a job is the hope for a better life." This is exactly why authentic content stands out much better in January than slick corporate texts. People in doubt about a next step are looking for recognition and honesty, and you will find this most of all in your own employees.
7. Capitalise on 'new year, new opportunities' and other motivations
With your content, you want to strike the right chord with your target group. After the natural moment of reflection during the holidays, the thought 'new year, new opportunities' is prominent in many heads. Capitalise on this with your content, for example with a blog, post or mailing with the slogan '3 signals that it is time for a new step'.
Another tip: cluster your communication not only on functions or work field, but also on motives. For instance, launch a campaign focusing on growth and development for people who want to take a step in this direction and hit people who want a better work-life balance with content that deals with flexibility, hybrid working and part-time opportunities. By linking your content to the candidate's motivation, you connect much better with their mindset in January. And that immediately increases the chances of conversion.
AI and automation as a booster for the new year
Many of these tips you can easily translate into practice with the help of the right tech. For instance, you can use an AI Agent to speed up the follow-up and have it happen 24/7 and use automation to prepare your recruitment campaigns, set up soft conversions and set up nurturing campaigns for your talent pools. When that peak is soon underway, you will get the best results without having to (temporarily) expand your team capacity.
