Many businesses still operate on the misconception that their recruitment function is a subservient element of the HR function. I still speak to business leaders who simply want to be free from the hassle of recruitment. This type of resentment still exists as a result of the sales style approach to recruitment which has pestered business leaders with cold calls for as long as I can remember. This has caused a challenge for business leaders, as they don’t want the annoyance of hiring but can’t actually deliver their services without bringing people into their business to operate it.
The future of recruitment
To ensure recruitment functions and providers are seen as an integral part of a business and not a necessary evil, we need to change our approach. A recruitment function needs to operate as a strategic partner to the business… but how can we do this? To be seen as a strategic partner the recruitment function needs to be deeply embedded in the business and ready to deliver services at a moment’s notice, we need to know when the business will need people, where they will be needed, the experience required and how many will be needed. Most importantly we need to have these talent pools ready before they are needed. We need a strategy to ensure we are ready to deliver the talent our business needs to succeed.
Essentials for your recruitment success
1. Plan
“decide on and make arrangements for in advance”
“a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something”
To allow your recruitment strategy to succeed you need to make arrangements in advance, and you need to be proactive. Being proactive sounds easy but to ensure you are proactive in the right areas you need to;
- Know when you will need people
- Know how many people you will need
- Understand the skills and experience your business requires
- Research the best channels to attract these people
- Learn how best to engage your audience
Research your business and your relevant network of candidates. Draw up a plan on how to interact with this audience and you will be off to a great start.
2. Attract
“cause to come to a place or participate in a venture by offering something of interest or advantage”
In order to attract people, you need to offer them something better than what they already have. People often see more benefits in stability, work life balance, progression, development and culture, rather than just getting paid a bit extra. It is important to understand that attracting people will take a significant amount more than just a job description and competitive salary. Think about putting together an employee advocacy plan.
3. Engage
“occupy or attract (someone’s interest or attention)”
Engagement is key for a proactive recruitment strategy. Many companies get stuck in the attract and recruit stages of a recruitment process. By implementing an engagement strategy means you can potentially cut up to 60% of the time it takes to hire someone. To make sure your campaigns are actually engaging you will need to create talent pools first, and then modify the campaign so it is relevant to each audience. Engaging people over a long period of time will turn your company into a recruitment magnet in the long run, and take the edge off a lot of your recruitment challenges.
4. Recruit
Most in-house functions and agencies jump straight to the recruit stage which includes finding applicants and following the recruitment process up until the hire is complete. By attracting and engaging people before the recruit stage, you will have a talent pool of eager candidates, and you might never need to use an agency again! Perhaps your employee retention will improve as well, by ensuring employees are already engaged with your brand and company values before they join.
Get prepared for the future of recruitment
Luckily, in most industries and sectors, it is not too late to prepare for the future. In fact, you can give yourself the competitive advantage by doing just that. By planning for each stage of the recruitment process, you can make sure your company is prepared to attract the top professionals in your sector. These are the people that will drive your success and secure your future. Want to continue the conversation? Connect with me on LinkedIn.
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