It's November. Your hiring manager just announced they're taking two weeks off in December. Your interview panel is scattered across Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. And you have 12 candidates who need interviews before year-end.

November-December is the hardest time to schedule interviews. Everyone's on PTO. Calendars are chaos. And candidates accept other offers while you're trying to coordinate five people's schedules around holiday parties.

Here's how to keep interviews moving during the holiday madness without losing candidates.

The Problem: Time Kills Deals

Average time-to-hire: 44 days normally. During November-December: 62 days.

The longer your process, the higher the chance candidates accept other offers.

What happens when interviews drag:

• Candidates assume you're not interested
• Competing offers arrive
• Holiday job searching ends (candidates check out mentally)
• Momentum dies

Your goal: Keep interviews moving at normal speed despite holidays.

Strategy #1: Front-Load Interviews In Early November

Don't wait until Thanksgiving week to start interviewing.

Get as many interviews done in early November as possible. Candidates who interview November 1-15 can receive offers before Thanksgiving.

Action items:

• Schedule all November interviews NOW
• Prioritize top candidates for immediate interviews
• Aim to extend offers by November 22 (before Thanksgiving)

Why this works: You beat the holiday slowdown and give candidates offers before they mentally check out for the year.

Strategy #2: Extend Interview Panel Flexibility

Your default interview panel might not work during holidays.

Options:

• Use backup interviewers when primary panel members are on PTO
• Allow interviewers to join remotely from holiday locations
• Reduce panel size (3 interviewers instead of 5 if needed)
• Record interviews for team members who can't attend live

Don't let one person's PTO block the entire process.

Strategy #3: Offer Asynchronous Interview Options

If live scheduling is impossible, consider:

Video recorded interviews: Candidate records responses to questions on their schedule

Take-home assignments: For technical roles, send assignments they complete on their timeline

Written Q&A: Send questions, candidate responds in writing

Not ideal, but better than 3-week delays waiting for calendars to align.

Strategy #4: Communicate Realistic Timelines

Don't ghost candidates during holidays.

Bad: Schedule interview, then go silent for three weeks

Good: "We're interviewing through mid-December. You'll hear from us by December 20. If you need a decision sooner due to other offers, let me know."

Setting expectations prevents candidates from assuming you're not interested.

Strategy #5: Be Flexible With Start Dates

Candidates might not want to start new jobs in December.

Offer flexibility:

• "Start date can be January 6 or whenever works for you"
• "We can do onboarding remotely if you're traveling"
• "We're flexible—what timeline works best?"

Candidates appreciate flexibility during holidays.

The Bottom Line

November-December interview scheduling is chaos, but you can't let it kill your hiring.

Keep interviews moving:

• Front-load interviews in early November
• Use backup interviewers
• Offer asynchronous options when needed
• Communicate timelines clearly
• Be flexible with start dates

Don't let holiday scheduling lose you great candidates.