How to deal with the fourth quarter "pause" button

Quite often in life I wish there was a "pause" button to slow things down.  As I get older, it seems more and more appealing to be able to do that.  With one exception - job searches and interviews hitting a brick wall in the fourth quarter.  Budget crunches, busy schedules, holidays, quarter end, renewals, and much more tend to slow down interviews that may have started with a lot of steam.  So what is the best way to deal with the one time we wish we didn't have the pause button?

1)  Communication - this may seem obvious, and it is exactly why I start with this simple concept.  Whether it be the actual interview, an offer, a start date, or even review of a resume, there is no reason to not communicate effectively in the midst of that.  I had a candidate accept an offer last week with the idea of a start date after the first of the year.  On its face it is terrifying as that provides a minimum of a two-month gap between acceptance and the employee actually commencing employment.  What brings me comfort in this particular situation is the fact that I know my client is going to have all kinds of communication with the candidate.  In the past in this sort of predicament I even had a client invite the candidate to the company Christmas party BEFORE they started.  It all begins with effective communication.

2)  Patience - I know I have preached this before, but both clients and candidates alike can practice this strategy with fabulous results.  Throw the idea that this is the fourth quarter out the window and simply look at things from an objective perspective.  If you do that, it will become clear that next steps in an interview process will happen naturally when they are supposed to.  The biggest key to any interview working out is timing.  It has to be right for all parties to have a successful partnership.  In the fourth quarter that timing simply tends to fluctuate a little more.  If you can go with the flow, you will have fewer sleepless nights wondering what the other party is thinking.

3)  Creativity - if you are not having a lot of formal interview activity, why not find another reason to be in touch?  If you are the candidate looking to stay on an employer's radar screen, find a way to celebrate something with the employer.  Oftentimes they are having a Halloween party or posting something on their company Facebook page about healthy eating habits during the holidays.  Compliment them on those efforts and send a quick note.  If you are an employer looking to remain engaged with a candidate, why not check in and see what fall activities are happening in the lives of your prospective candidates?  Although this is a slippery slope if taken too far, it is a fabulous way to enhance the relationship between the company and the candidate, especially if employment is pending after hitting "play" again from the temporary pause in the conversation or interview process.

The bottom line is that the "pause" button while inconvenient at the time can sometimes be completely necessary.  I like to live my life in fast forward sometimes, so I suppose hitting "pause" occasionally isn't all bad.

Would you agree?