Consider these 10 steps as a starting point when developing a recruitment strategy for your team, division, or company.
- Review your business goals. Consider your objectives and whether you currently have the talent and skills you need to achieve them. Staffing plans are impacted by a complex set of factors. CareerForce can help you gather data and connect with resources.
- Refine your position descriptions. Whether you’re hiring one person or several, review existing job descriptions and start the process of writing new ones as needed. Be sure the position description accurately captures the job responsibilities and that the minimum qualifications listed are truly required for someone to be successful. If they aren’t required, consider listing them as “preferred.”
- Do your research. Make sure your wage and benefit information is up-to-date. CareerForce can help you with information about wages and employment demand tailored to your location and industry.
- Formulate how you’ll find candidates. Look to current employees as potential job candidates and as referral sources. Consider talent pools such as youths, veterans, people with disabilities and people with criminal records. Post openings through CareerForce and other job posting sites, including professional and industry association job boards, alumni career centers and social media. Use hiring events and career fairs to match your needs with available talent.
- Develop other recruiting strategies. Be active in your community and foster relationships with local high schools and universities. Consider offering student scholarships, apprenticeships, internships and on-the-job training programs. Serving on an advisory board for a local educational institution is a good way to make connections. Or sponsor a community organization to help make people aware of your company.
- Make yourself an employer of choice. It’s easiest to attract talent if you have a reputation in the community as a dynamic place to work. CareerForce can help you assess and develop a multipronged strategy that includes fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture, community engagement, benefits and compensation.
- Hone your interviewing techniques and processes. Ensure the interview process goes smoothly and you get the information you need, while giving candidates a clear understanding of the position and what makes your workplace unique. Plan your process: Are you conducting one-on-one or group interviews? Do you have a diverse panel of interviewers? Are you using behavioral questions? Are you using other assessment tools? Do you have a rating scale for everyone to use? Will you conduct a second or third round of interviews?
- Establish a communications plan. Know how you will communicate with job applicants. One of the biggest complaints job seekers have is that prospective employers fail to acknowledge receipt of a job application—or don’t do follow-up communication during the hiring process. Treat candidates as you’d want to be treated. You never know when a candidate who is not a good fit for your current opening will be a great fit for a position that opens up later.
- Draw up a timeline; use a checklist. Your recruitment plan should include a hiring timeline with all the steps in the process. Allow enough time at the end for conducting reference and background checks, including drug testing or any other pre-employment screening your organization routinely does.
- Create your new-hire experience. Don’t wait until new employees are about to start to consider what you want their first impression of your workplace to be. By planning the onboarding experience, you can nurture excitement and foster loyalty, starting on their very first day.
We're not attorneys, so don't consider these 10 recruitment planning steps as legal advice.
