It’s July—If You’re Hiring in 2025, the Time to Move Is Now

Welcome to Q3 2025. Summer is in full swing, the second half of the year is underway, and if you’ve got a critical role to fill before the end of the year—now is the time to get serious.

At Harrison Gray, we see this scenario play out every year: companies intend to hire "by the end of the year," but they underestimate how long the process actually takes, especially as the holidays approach. Here's why July is the hiring sweet spot you don't want to miss:

1. Back Up from Your Ideal Start Date

Are you looking for someone to start in November or December? That means an offer needs to be accepted by September or October. Which means interviews need to happen in August. Which means... you need to be sourcing candidates right now.

Top candidates often have 30–60 day notice periods, plus planned PTO. Waiting until September to begin the search is a recipe for a January start date—at best.

2. The Q4 Slowdown Is Real

Once mid-November hits, hiring decisions drag. Calendars get cluttered with holidays, year-end wrap-ups, and travel.

• Key stakeholders are harder to schedule.

• Candidates mentally shift to "I’ll revisit this in January."

• Interview pipelines lose momentum.

By starting now, you can beat the holiday haze.

3. Summer Is a Surprisingly Strong Window

While many assume summer is slow, it’s a great time to:

• Engage passive talent open to a fresh start in the fall

• Get ahead of competitors who delay until after Labor Day

• Use lighter internal workloads to move quickly on hiring decisions

4. Hiring Now Sets Up a Strong 2026

Your new hire won’t just contribute in Q4—they’ll be fully onboarded and hitting their stride by January. That means a faster ramp-up, stronger strategic planning, and better execution heading into 2026.

Bottom Line: If you need a key hire in place by the end of 2025, the window to start is closing. July provides the best opportunity to source, interview, and secure top talent before year-end bottlenecks occur.

Need help making the right hire before the clock runs out? Let’s talk. Harrison Gray can help you make the most of Q3—before it becomes Q4.