Jobs are multiplying and so are job seekers but there seems to be some elements of a recruitment strategy missing to bring both together successfully. Many companies have prioritized recruitment of top talent for the company, but finding the right candidate still remains an uphill struggle. Businesses are being forced to confront the importance of recruiting plans and strategies as retention rates continue to waver so now is a good time as any to take a look at successful recruitment strategies that you could be employing at your company.
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What Is a Recruitment Strategy?
Simply put, recruitment refers to the selection of qualified candidates for a specific position and a recruitment strategy defines how the recruiter chooses to go about it. In the past, it was a much simpler task to put out an ad in the newspaper and interview anyone who walked in to enquire about the role. Unfortunately this also greatly limited a company’s reach and hiring was, more often than not, based on the first few candidates who appeared confident enough to take up the role.
Now, for better or for worse depending on how you choose to look at it, companies have an overwhelming number of avenues to consider for sourcing candidates, and the criteria for hiring are just as innumerable. In order to find the right candidate, it does take an investment of time, energy, and company resources. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost per new hire adds up to almost $4,700, or three to four times the salary for the given position. If the candidate turns out to be a poor fit for the company, there are additional losses of the investment in onboarding and the need for rehiring a candidate to fill in. Effective recruiting plans and strategies are essential if companies want to hire someone right for the role, who will remain in the position long-term.
Elements of Recruitment Strategy
Successful recruitment strategies are not hard to come by, but they do take some planning to get right. Many companies start thinking about recruitment only when an employee leaves and a new position needs to be filled up in a rush. At that point, there is little time to consider all the possible recruiting plans and strategies they might want to implement because a trial-and-error plan could cause multiple delays in filling up the position. For repeated success with recruitment, businesses should establish their hiring strategies in advance so that there is a clear path of action when necessary.
Define The Goal Clearly
The first element of a recruitment strategy is knowing what you are strategizing for. It is important to gain an understanding of the company, its work culture, and the kind of employees you want to hire. It is also necessary to gain a clear picture of what the job role is for which you are hiring.
The general term “graphic designer” might give you an approximate idea of the skill set you need, but for a successful recruitment strategy, specific is better. Understand the software they need to be able to work with, the experience they have with products and clients that match your industry, whether they need to have client-facing skills and capabilities, etc. The more specific you can be about your requirements, the greater the chances you have of finding someone who fits your company. Being prepared with such detailed insights into every role can be a reliable resource. Predefining the tests and assessments that employees should undergo during the recruitment process is also invaluable.
It is also recommended to plan ahead for the various departments of your company and the growth potential of each in terms of manpower. If it is likely that some departments will outpace the growth of others, you can start passively preparing to fill the role. Depending on whether you need to fill up a single role or multiple positions, you can invest your immediate resources in positions that are pressing while setting up steps for the next round of hiring.
Identify Recruitment Sources
There are so many ways to hire candidates that keeping track of a job posting on all platforms can be nearly impossible. Larger companies might have the necessary resources to monitor all channels but for smaller businesses keeping it simple is always. Simple does not have to mean basic, however, and every business should spare some time to consider which platform works best for them. Job boards and online spaces like LinkedIn and Indeed are obvious choices for where these job descriptions can be posted. Working with a hiring agency is also a good alternative for those who are more equipped to just outsource the task. According to Glassdoor, 79 percent of job seekers use social media while looking for a new role and Apollo Technical states that 70 percent of managers have actually found success through these channels.
Social media has become a recruitment space as well since many companies do find talented workers through these channels while job seekers assess their employers’ public presence. Companies also have career pages on their own websites where candidates can make their interests known or can find the resources to email the company. On-campus recruitment is an interesting element to recruiting plans and strategies that want to scope out young talent and offer internships and beginner roles to those with the knowledge but without the necessary experience.
Train the Recruitment Team
Among the elements of a recruitment strategy, we often forget to consider the recruitment team itself. In many cases, a handful of managers are asked to interview and fill in open positions while many HR professionals tasked with the tasks are not necessarily prepared for it either. Even in teams with a small workforce where workers might have to double up to play the recruiter role, training is important to ensure they know the right questions to ask, they test all the relevant areas sufficiently, avoid any biases in their decision-making, and maintain a calm and reassuring attitude throughout.
The recruitment team should undergo diversity and cultural sensitivity training regularly to ensure they do not mistakenly alienate very talented and dedicated prospective employees. Ensure they are fully aware of what the recruitment strategy is and how they need to follow through with it. Consider the utilization of technology as well, and ensure that the recruitment team is well-trained in navigating it. According to LinkedIn, 70 percent of talent professionals agree that virtual recruitment will become the standard and that is only the most basic of the technological changes in recruitment.
Maintain a Professional Attitude and Transparency While Hiring
Job seekers are expected to be on their best behavior while hiring but employers do not always extend the same courtesy to them. During recruitment, there are many aspects of professionalism that an employer must maintain to ensure that they also create a good impression on the employee.
- Do not be invasive and ask personal or inappropriate questions
- Be transparent with the pay that you can offer a candidate while creating the job description (JD)
- Do not ask about their last salaries and other details that might unfairly influence your decision to hire them
- Be clear about the role requirements, job timings, trial periods, and other details that the job seeker might need to know
- Employ blind resume screening and other practices that reduce the likelihood of bias in hiring
- Give candidates a fair chance to prove their skills and eligibility for a role
- Communicate with the applicant throughout the hiring cycle to keep them informed of any updates
Work Culture and Building a Community
The culture of a company does play into its recruiting plans and strategies. The more desirable a company, the more likely candidates are to apply and look forward to the role. A company with a good reputation for caring for its employees will see itself turn into a hotspot for applications to come pouring in. Building a healthy work culture is obviously essential to be able to promote it but once done, businesses should learn how to present these benefits and features to the applicants.
Mentioning the perks of working at the specific organization can always bring good press. This can include compensation benefits, paid time off, employee resource groups, on-site facilities, social service initiatives, and other features that set the company apart from competitors. Consider this element of the recruitment strategy to be a way to review the company from an outsider’s perspective and assess what needs to change to make it better.
Developing recruiting plans and strategies does require a lot of manpower but once established, it saves the energy that is spent at later stages of the hiring process. After a few trial-and-error cycles of making adjustments to the strategy, the hiring cycle should pass at a much faster pace. Take some time out to consider successful recruitment strategies and design a hiring plan that best suits your business.