Recruiting Strategy Development

Summary:

After identifying a need to hire, this process describes the steps to attract new talent to fill the position.

Steps in the Process (see below how HRSource™ can help):

  1. Determine which recruiting sources will be used. Generally, multiple sources should be used. Focus the majority of attention and resources on those recruitment sources which are most effective and least costly. Which source to use will also depend on the type of position being filled. Common sources include the following:
  2. Other recruitment sources include:
  3. Determine whether to use an employment advertising agency. A good employment advertising agency can help develop a recruiting strategy including the development of a positive and consistent company image to display to applicants. Consult with your communications department for official company logos and bylines.

  4. Determine who you will use to assist in recruiting. That can include one or a combination of the following:
    • Internal recruiters are regular employees of the company. Because of their regular employment status they tend to be more loyal to the company than those listed below. Also, the company can better control their work activities. The disadvantage of internal recruiters is cost inflexibility. The company must pay their salary regardless of the number of positions they are filling. Layoffs are a possibility, though costly alternative to recruiting slowdowns (see the Layoff Process).
    • Contract recruiters are not employees of the company, but are instead paid a fee for their services like consultants. The contract recruiter agreement can typically be canceled with little or no notice, which makes for a flexible cost arrangement. Contract recruiters are typically less costly than employment agencies (headhunters), but are more expensive than internal recruiters.
    • Employment agencies (headhunters) are paid a fee for each candidate that they place, typically 20% to 30% of the hired candidate's annual salary, plus direct expenses, based on the contract established with the headhunter (sample contract included although these are generally provided by the employment agency). This is a very high cost, but if the headhunter places no one, then there is no cost. Because of the high cost, the use of headhunters is usually limited to filling top management positions and other positions that are difficult to fill. Loyalty is another problem. Just as headhunters can place candidates with your company, they can just as easily take employees from your company after expiration of their contract. Here are some other related suggestions:
      • Establishing good relations with agencies can facilitate communication and productivity, and create and environment that is conducive to resolving issues.
      • Good on-going relations can also reduce the chance that the headhunter will pull employees out of your organization for another client of theirs.

  5. Open positions as needed (see the Job Opening Approval process) and begin the recruitment process.

Passive and Active Recruiting
Active Recruitment is the traditional style of recruiting where a search begins after identifying the need to open a position. Passive Recruitment is driven by the identification of outstanding talent rather than in response to an open position. An example of passive recruiting is pursuing a candidate who is known for their outstanding skills and ability, who could have a significant impact on the success of the organization, even though a specific position may not be currently available. This may require adjusting the organization structure to accommodate the candidate. Passive recruitment is not for all organizations.

Passive Candidates
Many employers prefer passive candidates. A passive candidate is a gainfully employed individual who is open to hearing about career opportunities and would actually accept a new job if it made sense to them and their family. It is widely recommended to use a reputable recruiter, but an in-house recruiter can also develop a quality list of passive candidates by asking employees for names of individuals whom they worked with at previous companies. For more information, read John Sander's blog How to Conduct a Passive Search

Process Tips:

Get all employees involved in the recruitment process. Encourage them to recruit their contacts from previous employers, professional associations, or any other source. If they are not willing to get directly involved in recruiting, ask them to provide you with the names and phone numbers of candidates so you can contact them.

Paying employee referral bonuses or sponsoring employee referral contests are excellent ways to encourage and reward employee referrals.

How HRSource™ Can Help:

HRSource™ can help by tracking the source of applicants. Analytical reports in HRSource™ can identify which sources yield the best results. Focusing on the best sources makes the recruiting function more effective and productive.

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