The Kas Group
Back to Insights
Sales Leadership

Hiring Sales Reps for a January Start: Why the Search Begins Now

October 26, 2026 Chris Stinson, Managing Partner, The Kas Group

Last reviewed: October 26, 2026. I refresh this post each October.

Short answer: If you want a sales rep starting in January, start the search now. A search can take weeks or it can take months, depending on the role and how your process runs. A candidate who has a job usually owes notice. And Thanksgiving and Christmas slow everything down.

Do the math backward. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. Christmas is Friday, December 25. Take out those weeks, and the time you really have to interview, decide and make an offer before January gets short fast. If you are a CRO or VP of Sales at a 20 to 200 person B2B tech company with an AE seat in next year's plan, this is your reminder. Yes, in October. Sorry.

How long does it take to hire an account executive?

There is no fixed number. Each role is different. It can take multiple months, and it can take multiple weeks. I would love to give you a magic number. I do not have one.

It depends on three things: how motivated the company is to hire, how its process works, and whether the interviewers are aligned on what they are looking for. A quick turnaround is possible. Around the holidays, it is more than likely slower.

For a benchmark, SHRM's State of Recruiting 2025 puts median time to fill, from requisition to offer acceptance, at roughly a month and a half. That covers all roles, not sales specifically, and it stops at the accepted offer. For what changes when the seat is enterprise, see how to hire an enterprise account executive.

What do the holidays do to a search?

They slow it down. Thanksgiving week and the Christmas weeks typically drag, because people are not in working mode. They are not thinking about work. They are with their loved ones, which is where they should be.

The data backs that up. Indeed Hiring Lab found job searches fell 34% between December 1 and Christmas Day, in its look at the 2023 holiday season.

There is a flip side. Some candidates have downtime or slow weeks at work, so they can actually take more interviews. That helps. The catch is getting everyone's calendars to sync up in those weeks. That part is often hard, whether your team sits in Texas, the Southeast or anywhere else.

I have had Q4 searches slip into February. It is just kind of part of the practice. The usual causes: too many interviews, people not in alignment, and calendars that will not line up.

When should you start for a January start?

Now. Here is the sequence, worked backward from the holidays. It is an example of the order things happen in, not a promise of timing.

When (example)Stage
This weekLock the role scope and comp range. Agree as a team on what you are looking for. Pick a small interview panel. Start the search.
Before Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26)Block interview time on every interviewer's calendar. Get first conversations done.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas (Friday, December 25)Final interviews and the offer. Expect calendars to be tougher in these weeks.
After the offer is acceptedThe candidate gives notice to their current employer.
JanuaryStart date.

Every role is different, so your dates will move. The order mostly does not.

What should you do this week?

Run the process. It can be a challenge, but it can be done. But somebody needs to run it.

  1. Name one owner. One person runs the search and keeps it moving.
  2. Return emails and calls. Make sure people on your side actually get back to candidates.
  3. Block interview time before Thanksgiving. Find the time now, while calendars are still open.
  4. Align your interviewers. Agree on what you are looking for before the first call. Lock the role scope and the comp range while you are at it. The AE interview questions guide and AE OTE by level can help.
  5. Limit the number of interviews. Every extra round is another set of calendars to sync in December.

What if you are late?

Then they start in February. There is not a whole lot you can do about it, and that is fine.

A January start on a regular calendar does give you a much better idea of quota and that type of thing. That is the reason to try. It is not a reason to rush the wrong person into the seat. Misalignment with the role is what goes wrong early, as I cover in how to hire a senior account executive. If this is one of your first sales hires, fractional recruiting for startups covers how to run it. And if you think a soft market makes this easy, read 29,000 Jobs Added and Still No Great Reps.

Planning a January start?

See how The Kas Group runs sales searches on the programs page. Or email me the seat and when you want them starting.

Email [email protected]

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start a search for a January sales hire?

Now. A search can take weeks or months, a candidate who has a job usually owes notice, and Thanksgiving and Christmas slow everything down. Starting now gives you room to interview before the holidays and make an offer before the year ends.

How long does it take to hire an account executive?

In my view, there is no fixed number. Each role is different. It can take multiple weeks or multiple months, depending on how motivated you are to hire, how your process runs and whether your interviewers agree on what they want. SHRM puts median time to fill at roughly a month and a half, across all roles.

Do the holidays slow down sales hiring?

Usually, yes. Thanksgiving week and the Christmas weeks are slower because people are with family and not in work mode. Indeed Hiring Lab found job searches fell 34% between December 1 and Christmas Day in its 2023 data. Some candidates do have more time to interview, but calendars are hard to line up.

Is it a problem if a new sales rep starts in February?

Not really. If they start in February, they start in February, and that is fine. A January start does give you and the rep a cleaner read on quota for the year. Do not rush the wrong hire just to hit a date.

Sources