The importance of a well-planned recruitment strategy

It can be tempting to be of the opinion that sourcing top talent to fill your vacancies is a formality. After all, if demand is rising for the products and services you provide making you a business of choice for your target market, so too is your stock as an employer that people will want to work for. If only it was that simple.

The reality is that recruiting has never been harder and the challenge for employers is how to not only to attract the right people for the right roles, but where to find them in the first place; candidate pools are shrinking faster than at any time over the last 40 years. So, how can businesses increase their chances of hiring success?  

The answer lies in having an effective recruitment strategy in place. Here I’ll guide you through the five key steps that will ensure your hiring objectives are met in 2023. 

1.   Be clear on your needs

A study conducted by Allegis Group found that while 72% of hiring managers think they have a clear and effective job description, only 36% of candidates agree. Involve all stakeholders in the process. Canvass the thoughts from the line manager who will be responsible for the new hire and their future colleagues. These are the people who really ‘get’ what skills, qualities and attributes are needed to be successful in the role.  

2.   Be aware of the current employment market  

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 72% of hiring managers expect to see greater competition for talent in 2023. The hiring strategy you put in place now will stand you in good stead when the next round of recruitment comes around, so invest the time in getting it right – it will pay dividends over the long-term. 

3.   Review existing processes 

We still come across employers whose hiring cycle is several weeks and in some instances, months. This is echoed by the CIPD’s research, which found that two-fifths (42%) of employers believe that their existing recruitment processes take too long. And it is too long. 

While the focus among employers will be to secure the ‘right’ person for the job, they often fail to realise that, that same person is still open to opportunities elsewhere. As such, there is a high risk of another employer seizing the initiative by making an offer sooner. Speed is very much of the essence when fighting a war for talent. 

4.   Set a time plan 

Staying on the theme of time, recent research published by Glassdoor revealed that the average time to hire in the UK has more than doubled since 2014. Aside from the point above, other key reasons for this is that too many employers forget to factor the time needed to organise their recruitment activity in the first place. The need for a new hire is realised but a series of other tasks need to be undertaken before you even welcome your first interviewee.  

Things such as liaising with everyone who is involved in the hiring process, drafting the job description, placing the recruitment adverts, appointing a specialist recruiter, organising assessments and finding the time to analyse the results. Not to mention the gap between requesting and receiving necessary background checks, such as DBS and references.  

All of these things are critical and equally time consuming. Do you have the capacity internally to manage each of these elements and if not, would you benefit from utilising the services of an external recruitment agency partner who can manage these processes for you; thereby, reducing your time to hire and limiting your cost per hire? Allocate an amount of time needed to adequately complete these tasks and in doing so you will have a more accurate idea of the hiring cycle you are about to embark upon. 

5.   Brand aid 

We all like to consider our organisations to be employers of choice. But there is often a disconnect between saying it and showing it. Recruitment marketing is not solely about promoting vacancies, it also involves providing candidates with the Why they should Want to work for you. 

LinkedIn provides some outstanding insights into hiring, and one of the most powerful is that 83% of hiring managers agree that a strong employer brand positively impacts the organisation’s ability to attract the talent it really needs. Promote your vacancies by all means, but be mindful that interested candidates will then check out the company website to find out more about you. Is your employee value proposition evident? Have you addressed the what’s-in-it-for-me-if-I-work-here factor? 

People have and will always be the greatest asset for every organisation. Finding, hiring and retaining great people is becoming more difficult – with fewer candidates on the market employers need to work that little bit harder to attract those who are in the market, too.  

Indeed, the candidate market has become more fluid, with the number of opportunities outstripping the availability of talent. But employers can compete and position themselves as the employer of choice in their space, providing they get their recruitment strategy right. 

The above are by no means a definitive list of how to maximise your hiring. Rather, they are the core elements that in our experience have the most significant impact for employers.  

What would be included in your top five?  

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@heatuk.com or Tel: 0345 375 1747 to discuss your recruitment strategy.