When you know the organization’s business goals and objectives you can make your recruiting strategy a sub-set of the organization’s overall plans and direction. For example, if the organization is going to shift its focus to a new sales channel such as e-commerce, then the recruiting strategy should change accordingly to account for the new skill mix required.
Acquiring and retaining quality talent is the key to any organization’s success. Human Resource's role is to facilitate the hiring of qualified and motivated people. A well-thought-out and implemented recruiting strategy will help to ensure that the right employees are in place when needed.
Flow of the Recruiting Strategy process!
- Acquire leads/sourcing
- Applications
- Interviews
- Offers
- Hires
- Starts
Elements of the Recruiting Strategy
- Needs assessment – Anticipated hires for each job category or division.
- Qualifications profile – Job descriptions that identify responsibilities and skill set.
- External job posting – Develop the image you want to convey to the marketplace.
- External Market Sourcing – Select sources such as ads, job fairs, internet, etc.
- Creative Sourcing – Alternatives such as temp-to-hire, part-time, outsourcing, offshore, school-to-work, job sharing, telecommuting, and training programs.
- Budget – Estimate your needs in terms of funding.
- Applicant tracking – Set up a system to track candidates.
- Applicant screening - How will you qualify good candidates?
- Testing – Determine if testing is required.
- Interviewing and selection – Ensure that the selection and decision-making are valid, streamlined, and documented.
- Credentials – Ensure that references and credentials are verified.
- Offers and Acceptances – Make offers in a positive way that helps to close the deal.
Use technology and keep up with the changing legal landscapes
Find ways to measure the quality of hires over the longer term, such as retention, promotions or performance. Monitor changes in federal, state and local legislation and or regulations to ensure that your recruiting strategy and plan is in compliance. Record Keeping, documentation, application forms and EEO reporting are just a few things to consider. Use your attorney or professional conferences, seminars and publications to keep current. Contact AHEAD to monitor federal and state workforce regulation changes for you.
Available sources to implement your recruiting strategy!
- Print Advertising – Most newspapers are also running their print ads online.
- Recruiting Firms – Traditional recruiting firms fall into two categories.
- Contingency firms typically shop their candidates to a number of organizations, charging a fee when the candidate starts.
- Retainer firms charge a fixed fee usually paid up-front. Retainer firms are typically used for senior management level and more esoteric technical jobs where direct sourcing is needed to identify and recruit the candidates.
Both types of firms charge between 20% and 30% of the first year’s annual salary. Negotiate to get the best price, remembering that volume and relationship should drive the price down. Recruiting firms are often a good choice for specific functions such as technology, where you have limited expertise, time or contacts. They often provide needed candidate pools, especially if your internal recruiting time or resources are limited.
- Employee Referrals – set up a formal employee referral program with incentives such as gift certificates, company merchandise, cash awards, trips or cars.
- The Internet and Social Media – Consider getting specialized training for your human resources staff on Internet recruiting.
- Independent Contractors or Temporary Workers.
- College Recruitment.
- Job Fairs/Career Days.
- Co-ops and Interns.
- Specialty Sourcing: Minority, Female, Veteran.
- Networking – Word of mouth.
While it’s true that recruiting is no magic wand, with careful thought, analysis and planning any organization can develop implement a recruiting strategy that works and is customized to their needs.
AHEAD Staffing is a privately owned, market-leading temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct placement staffing firm. We deliver advanced staffing solutions using automated state-of-the-art technology combined with highly skilled staffing professionals. For a free consultation contact us here or call (920) 436-9887.