How to keep candidates engaged over the Christmas break

How do we keep candidates engaged over the Christmas break?
Tell candidates your festive hours and January timelines, pre-book early-January interviews and share helpful prep resources. Use your ATS to segment by stage, use automation and host new hire content in a Welcome Hub area so they always know what happens next.

December isn't a hiring black hole unless you let it be. Candidates still browse roles on the sofa, finalists still want clarity and new starters crave reassurance that everything is ticking along nicely. The trick is to make a few thoughtful moves now that will keep interest high without spamming inboxes. Communicate clearly, offer something useful and give people a concrete next step for early January. That's how you protect a strong pipeline and hit the ground running in January.

Why you should keep engaging (even if you're on shutdown)

• Candidate activity doesn't stop for Christmas. UK searches for “Christmas jobs” hit their strongest level since at least 2018, up 28% year on year in early October 2025.
• Seasonal hiring and applications continue in December. Postings and searches for seasonal roles have normalised back to pre-pandemic patterns, so a visible brand still wins attention.
• Know the immovable dates. Point candidates to official Christmas and New Year bank holidays so they understand response times.

Set expectations before you switch on the out-of-office

A short, human update beats radio silence hands down - and it's about being courteous. Let applicants know what's paused, what isn't and exactly when you'll be back or when they can expect to hear from you.

• Say what will happen when: Office/team closure dates, when shortlisting will start again, when interviews restart

• Name a contact: For any interview reschedules

• Confirm application status: If you're still accepting applications, be clear and set expectations on when they can expect to hear from you.

• Candidates going through the offer stage: Again, set expectations, use your ATS's Onboarding Hub to bring everything online so candidates can see where everything is up to.

• Flag anything that affects start dates: New starters waiting in the wings? Check if bank holidays, payroll cycles and uniform or equipment shipping will be affected by the Christmas break.

How we do this in Jobtrain: Create segmented groups - those who've just applied, shortlisted, finalists, at offer stage or those being onboarded - in our ATS so each group can receive the right note with minimal effort. Using our careers site builder, add a festive banner or add FAQs so expectations are clear to anyone who discovers your company over the break.

Maintain momentum with candidates already in process

Certainty is the best gift you can give your shortlisted candidates. If there are still interviews to be arranged, book them in for January slots now to keep the anticipation and excitement alive. Pair the interview invites with light, helpful prep so applicants arrive primed rather than rusty.

• Pre-book interviews: Use a self-service calendar to allow candidates to book their own January slot

• Send a recap of the role: Job description, key outcomes for Q1, who they'll meet at interview

• Share a 90-second manager video: "What success looks like in the first 90 days"

• Offer micro-prep: Give them the heads up - interview format, competencies you assess, example questions

In Jobtrain, automation helps with much of this: stage-based communications can be sent in your "expectations + prep" note, then a warm reactivation in the first week back in January. For those already hired and awaiting their first day, host the video, prep pack and day-one info in our Welcome Hub, so there's one trusted place for candidates to return to during the break.

Attract prospective candidates while others go quiet

You don't need a full campaign to stay visible. Be useful, be honest and make it easy for candidates to find what they're looking for.

• Evergreen content that answers the candidate's intent:

  • "What it's like to interview here" (5-minute read)

  • "How we support flexible working in peak periods"

  • "Your first 90 days as a [role]"

• A simple January webinar: a 20-minute "ask us anything" with a hiring manager. Publish the registration now. Quick tip: at Jobtrain, we use Crowdcast to host our webinars

• Social proof, not sales: short team clips on what's coming in Q1 and why it matters

With our careers site builder, you're able to spin up a campaign page for each priority role family, add a fast-apply, drop in those content assets and enable a talent pool sign-up. Two light-touch nurture emails during December plus a January event invite is enough to keep interest warm without overdoing it.

Make your out-of-office (OOO) genuinely helpful

If your OOO is just dates, it's a dead end. Turn it into a helpful signpost.

• Link to your festive FAQ on the careers site

• Point to a "how we hire" page or a 1-page interview prep guide

• Add accessibility: plain language, clear links, and a fallback email

Prepare for the first fortnight of January now

January is when you cash the cheques you wrote in December. A little set-up now avoids a sluggish restart.

• Reserve interview blocks and confirm panel availability

• Draft decision templates and offers so approvals don't stall

• Identify "almost-there" finalists to fast-track

• Line up IT and facilities for January starters

On day one back, use your ATS/Jobtrain to keep candidates updated so they see movement immediately. It signals professionalism and reduces noise from follow-up emails and phone calls.

Governance and good practice

Keep it simple, compliant and inclusive.

• Be explicit about bank holidays and how they might affect response times or start dates

• Align nurture emails to consent preferences and offer easy opt-outs

• Make every asset accessible and mobile-first (subtitles, alt text, readable PDFs)

How to measure (so you can improve next year)

Pick a small set of sensible metrics:

• Interview show-rate for slots booked pre-Christmas

• Offer acceptance for offers made in the first two weeks of January

• Talent pool growth and activation from festive content

• Careers site engagement on the FAQ and "how we hire" pages

Email copy you can lift and use

How we run this in Jobtrain (practical workflow)

1. Segment candidates by stage (Applicants, Shortlisted, Finalists, Offers, Talent Pool).

2. Create two templates per segment: December expectations and January reactivation. Add SMS for finalists to cut no-shows.

3. Update the careers site with a festive copy or banner, a 3 to 5 question FAQ and a January mini-events block.

4. Onboarding Hub: ensure as much as possible is completed from your end so candidates can see progression in their own portal.  

5. Populate the Welcome Hub with manager videos, first-week plans and practicals for January starters.

6. Plan comms: closure notice, interview self-scheduling, first-day reminder.