The job market continues to change, and some say we are in a “forever labor shortage.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total employment from 2022 to 2032 is projected to increase by approximately 4.7 million.
Just as employers are hesitant about the uncertainty of the economy – so are job seekers – so they are quitting less this year. With so much variability in the job market, companies are focused on recruiting diverse talent and retaining them. Targeted advertising is effective, but only if hiring professionals have a clear understanding of the right target.
The end of every year brings a new opportunity to begin planning for the next year’s growth. Preparing a recruitment roadmap is a top priority, and a well-developed strategy is essential. Reviewing the highs and lows of the year could be a good place to start.
Whether an organization successfully met its recruiting goals or fell short, a review of previous strengths and weaknesses puts it in a better position for future success.
With that in mind, here is what to prioritize when goal setting.
Taking the time to reflect on the successes and failures over the last year will save time in the long run. Not all “failed” strategies belong in the shredder. Some may simply need to be adjusted. With others, perhaps it was the timing, not the strategy itself, that was problematic. Others still may need to be discarded in favor of newer strategies.
Once the recruitment map from the current year has been reviewed and there is a clear understanding of what worked well and what didn’t, it’s time to begin developing new plans to meet future goals.
Taking a “let’s improve everything” approach is neither practical nor effective. Instead, concentrate on improving deficits. What was the biggest hurdle to recruitment last year? Was it employer branding (EB), diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), or the candidate experience? Are there issues with candidate quality?
Clarifying the major focus is the first step to improvement. When every member of every team understands the gaps, the company can work together to close those gaps in the new year.
Team members can’t meet or exceed key performance indicators if they’re confused about what they are. What are the recruitment goals for the coming year, and how will they be measured? How many new hires is the organization expected to need for the new year? If company management hasn’t communicated this information, a hiring professional can start by using their 2023 hiring data as a baseline.
If no direction is given on a budget, the previous year’s budget can be the baseline. This allows hiring professionals to create a plan, while easily flexing up and down where necessary.
Understanding the budget saves the time that would be spent developing strategies for those “nice-to-have” components that don’t have a chance of being implemented due to budget constraints. Hiring professionals should stay focused on realistic “must-haves” that will help the organization grow.
A recruitment roadmap is the hiring professional’s version of GPS. Even when the path is familiar, a detailed program is needed to make sure the trip goes as smoothly as possible. Developing a solid roadmap is essential to identifying hiring priorities and creating opportunities for measurable improvement in recruitment strategies.
It takes a combination of proven recruitment marketing tactics, analytics, and a tailored strategy to meet the unique needs of any organization.
Tip: Hiring professionals should design their roadmaps to follow a phased approach. Phase one should focus on visibility. Where does the organization need to start? Phase two revolves around what needs to be completed to make the company competitive in today’s market. Phase three looks to the future. What needs to be nurtured in order to stay one step ahead of the competition?
It’s impossible to focus on a goal when it is unclear or difficult to understand. Before hiring professionals can predict with any accuracy how likely their goals are to succeed, there are several questions they must ask themselves to evaluate their current standing. Here are five things to consider to jumpstart the goal-setting process.
An organization that is not taking advantage of all available platforms is missing out on endless opportunities. Job seekers look to connect on every platform, and so should hiring professionals.
The same is true when it comes to involvement with every stage of recruitment. From using talent acquisition technology to staying aware of candidates at the consideration stage, hiring professionals need to be present.
This is especially important since there are between six to twelve touchpoints candidates encounter after becoming aware of a hiring organization. Every encounter provides new information that helps the candidate and hiring manager make sound decisions.
What makes one company more attractive than another? In many cases, it is the EVP. Today’s workers want more than a paycheck. They want to be seen as individuals and know their efforts are appreciated. The EVP is one way an employer can meet those needs.
In an effort to attract and retain high-quality candidates, many companies are improving their EVPs. A focus on providing benefits that appeal to a diverse range of workers, such as grandparent leave or paying for college courses, is the trend. A company should update its EVP every six to twelve months to ensure its messaging aligns with the reality of working for the organization.
Without a clear and attractive EVP, an organization risks a bad candidate experience and a significant hit to the brand’s reputation. Also, since EVPs positively impact retention, they can help companies reduce recruitment costs.
Employer profiles are just as important to branding as social media messaging, yet they are often overlooked. Job satisfaction is an important and unignorable part of the employee experience – and it has just as much to do with who they work with as who they work for. A company website highlighting employee contributions starts building rapport with a candidate before they have an interview.
A company’s branding on employer profiles and social media should represent it positively but fairly. Social engagement that is sparse or off-brand suggests the company is out of touch with modern practices. Old branding could affect candidate engagement, causing an organization to miss out on the best and brightest. A way to revamp company content is by updating and engaging with Workplace Wellbeing Scores on Indeed, Company Commitment Pledges on LinkedIn, and Bowls on Glassdoor.
Tip: Hiring professionals should ensure that the organization’s social media team is on top of engagement. Job seekers will look up reviews for the company on social media and Google, and if there’s no active engagement from the company (such as thanking positive reviews or interacting with the community), it could deter the candidate.
Sustainable growth doesn’t just happen; it requires planning and foresight. Like a building without a strong foundation, a recruitment team without the right tools is in constant repair mode.
Meeting recruitment goals may not be possible without an efficient tech stack. Before the new year begins, an organization should work with industry experts to implement tools such as pre-employment assessments, screening tools, and recruiting dashboards and update its automated hiring process. Also, now is a good time for hiring professionals to consider implementing AI for optimal benefit.
Hiring professionals may need support from outside agencies to perform their best, especially if there is no in-house team or the knowledge and resources to activate all possible channels. Working with experts in recruitment management services is like hiring a team of specialists but at a fraction of the cost and without the hassles of actually adding employees to the team.
Tip: Recruitics has historical data that helps with making recurring decisions. The team of skilled professionals is knowledgeable in all areas of recruitment to help companies maximize their efforts.
Enthusiasm is a valuable skill in a hiring professional, but trying to execute a poorly developed plan is a waste of resources. For the best results, start by reviewing the previous year to learn which strategies succeeded and which did not.
Getting clarity on the company’s recruitment goals and budget helps hiring professionals develop a solid plan for the coming year. Take the time to develop a new plan before the beginning of each quarter. With a foundation in place, the recruitment team can focus on their efforts to find the best possible candidates.
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Interested in elevating your recruitment strategy this year? Reach out to Recruitics, where we have some of the industry’s best thought leaders available to help your brand thrive in the new reality. We leverage real-time data to pivot, innovate, and collaborate to help you become more precise, intuitive, and efficient so you can achieve your hiring goals.
