Behind the Scenes of Recruiting During the Holiday and Bonus Season

Written By: Brayden Fredrickson

As we close out 2025, we want to start by saying thank you. To our clients who trusted us with critical hires, and to the candidates who spent time sharing their goals, challenges, and career aspirations with us, we are incredibly grateful. This year was shaped by strong partnerships, honest conversations, and a shared commitment to long term success. We do not take that trust lightly.

As we head into the final weeks of the year and prepare for what comes next, we wanted to pull back the curtain and share what recruiting actually looks like during the holiday season. From the outside, it can feel quiet or even stalled. In reality, there is a lot happening across all stakeholders, including clients, candidates, and recruiters, even if it is not always visible.

Even during the holidays, hiring intent remains strong. What changes in December is not whether companies want to hire, but how quickly hiring can move. Many organizations use this time to reflect on the year behind them, identify gaps on their teams, and decide where to invest going forward. At BRIX, we often see roles approved, searches scoped, and strategic conversations underway before the calendar turns. The planning happens now so execution can follow once teams are fully back in the office.

As planning continues, availability becomes the biggest constraint. Hiring managers step out of the office, interview panels are incomplete, and key decision makers are traveling or unplugging. Candidates are doing the same. Recruiters are no exception.

Our team, like many professionals, takes intentional time to recharge, which means offices run with lighter coverage and short weeks create natural backlogs. When so many people are unavailable at the same time, hiring processes slow by necessity. Interviews are rescheduled, feedback takes longer, and progress happens in stages rather than all at once. That does not mean momentum disappears. It simply moves at a different pace.

Limited availability also changes how candidates engage with outreach. A large part of our role involves connecting with professionals who are not actively job searching. On a normal business day, those conversations often happen between meetings or during a quick break. During the holidays, that dynamic shifts.

If someone is at a family gathering or traveling, they are far less likely to answer an unexpected phone call. Outreach that would normally spark a conversation often goes to voicemail or sits unread a bit longer. This is not a lack of interest. It is a natural result of people prioritizing time away.

Because of these dynamics, December feels different from a typical hiring month. It is often described as relationship season, and that label fits when expectations are realistic. There is meaningful activity happening, but it is weighted more toward planning, outreach, and alignment than fast moving interviews and immediate offers. Many clients want searches underway before year end so they can move quickly once everyone is back. Candidates are open to conversations, but often less inclined to make a major career decision in the final weeks of the year.

Layered into this is the reality of year end compensation timing. Bonuses, commissions, and vesting schedules play a major role in how and when candidates are willing to move. For many professionals, these payouts represent income they have already earned. Walking away from that is not a simple decision.

As a result, conversations often shift from interest to logistics. Can a company wait until a bonus is paid. Is there a sign on bonus to help bridge the gap. How long can an offer realistically remain open. While waiting can make sense, it also introduces uncertainty, as a lot can change over the course of several weeks. Navigating these moments well requires transparency, patience, and alignment on both sides.

Taken together, all of this highlights the forward looking nature of recruiting. The work we do today rarely results in immediate outcomes. Conversations that begin in December often lead to interviews in January, offers in February, and starts in March. This is why this time of year matters. Not because it is frantic, but because it lays the groundwork for the months ahead. A strong first quarter is almost always built on thoughtful work done before the calendar turns.

As we look ahead to the new year, that foundation becomes even more important. As we wrap up 2025, we want to thank our clients and candidates once again for their partnership and trust. We are continuing to work hard on the days we are in the office, while also taking time to reset and recharge. That balance allows us to show up fully in the year ahead.

We are excited for what 2026 has in store and grateful to be building it together.