What’s at stake when you’re hiring
So, it’s time to hire. Regardless of the reason why you’re recruiting—to fill a vacancy, to fill a new position, or to round out your existing team—hiring the right person the first time matters.
Whether your in-house human resources team handles the hiring process or you retain the services of a recruitment firm, the hiring process will incur costs—time and money.
The real cost of hiring
The cost of hiring a new employee goes far beyond just paying for a salary. You must also factor in the cost of recruiting, training, and more. You need to consider the time and resources required to:
- define the position and develop a job profile,
- advertise the position,
- review resumes and pre-screen candidates,
- set up and conduct interviews with candidates,
- do background checks and contact references, and
- conduct aptitude, personality, and behavior assessments (if your in-house team is equipped to perform these).
And recruitment is just the first step in the process. Once you’ve hired the right candidate, you need to provide orientation and training so your new employee can start off on the right foot and quickly begin contributing to your organization. Developing and delivering this training often falls on managers or other key employees, which is time they’re not spending on their other work responsibilities.
There’s a lot at stake! If you rely on an ad hoc plan or fail to implement your plan well, it could have unfortunate results—not finding suitable candidates, taking longer than anticipated to fill the position, spending more than anticipated on advertising, or simply hiring the wrong person.
If you would rather minimize costs and reach your operational goals quickly, you’ll need to develop a well-planned recruitment strategy and implement it methodically.
How to find the right candidates the first time
Your recruitment strategy should always start with a thorough understanding of the role you’re filling and where it fits within your organization. With that understanding in mind, you can develop a successful strategy to find the right person for the position.
Following are some of the important elements you need to develop before you start actively recruiting:
Outline of the company
- Tell your story, who are you?
- Ensure you describe the culture and values of your organization.
- Outline who a good fit would be to work within the organization.
Detailed job description
A well-thought-out job description tells candidates a story about the role. It should include:
- a clear objective of the position, expectations, and goals
- clearly defined skills, experience, credentials, and traits required for the position;
- internal and external relationships necessary to be successful in the position; and
Targeted advertising plan
Any good advertising plan starts with a clear understanding of where you will reach the ideal candidates. Depending on the requirements of the role, this could include:
- social media,
- national and local industry job boards,
- job posting platforms
- other mediums (e.g., email blasts, radio ads, and online advertisements).
Clear timeline and action plan
Having a realistic schedule for implementing the various steps involved in the recruitment process is also crucial.
Throughout the process, communication among all stakeholders is essential.
When you should call in the experts
Many small and medium-sized businesses don’t have dedicated human resource personnel, so managers or the CEO have to make time in their schedules to take on the recruiting process. Even if you do have a human resource department, they’re usually busy dealing with day-to-day personnel matters and don’t have time to develop and undertake a thorough recruitment plan.
When that’s the case, finding the right recruitment firm may be the first step you need to take to ensure a successful hiring process. You’ll want to look for a recruitment firm with:
- experience in your region,
- an extensive network in a wide array of professional fields,
- a thorough understanding of the job market,
- proven expertise in tailoring recruitment strategies, and
- a track record of successfully placing candidates who stay in their positions.
When you find the right recruiting firm, they will work closely with you to help you develop a customized strategy that meets your organization’s needs. Their recruitment expertise will be focused on selecting and hiring the best-suited individual to fit your organizational culture, values, and goals. The right recruitment firm will save you time and money.
Let us know if you would like to learn more about developing a sound strategy.
