By Viktoria Butanu
Having a recruitment plan in place allows a company to streamline its hiring process, avoid poor hiring decisions and contribute to the implementation of the company’s growth strategy. As a strategic document, a recruitment plan not only seeks to fill a vacancy whenever a member of staff leaves, it also plans for the future by ensuring the company has all the skills needed in order to expand. Unfortunately, many companies fail to utilize the benefits of having a recruitment plan but here are a few steps detailing how to put one in place.
1. Analyze company needs
By assessing the skills a company’s team is missing and those that will be needed in the future, the recruitment process can be streamlined by taking into account factors such as staff turnover, any possible in-house promotions, and whether certain departments will need strengthening.
2. Create a hiring calendar
Knowing what people the company will need and when it will need them enables a recruitment calendar to be created. Make sure to allocate plenty of time to prepare for each hire – at least several months prep time before the company needs the position to be filled.
3. Create job descriptions
By understanding how each new hire will fit into the tapestry of the organization, the skills and characteristics each new person will need to possess can be recognized. Make sure that hiring managers are involved in this process.
4. Budget
Analyze the previous hiring processes and determine how much money will be required to fill each position. Some of the costs may include advertising, background checks, and any possible travel expenses. Will filling senior positions involve a recruiting agency? Are existing staff able to train the new candidates on the job or will extra training be required that the company will have to pay for?
5. Determine the selection process
Although for some companies the selection process may seem straightforward, making sure it is thorough enough can save major disappointments in the future. One way to approach the selection process is to personalize this for each candidate. There are ways to determine whether the candidate’s skills and cognitive abilities are what is needed, as well as if he or she has the personality that will integrate smoothly into the corporate culture. If the position requires background or drug tests, make sure these are included at a relevant step of the selection process.
Use this experience
After one hiring cycle has been completed, consider any steps that failed to go as planned and adjust these accordingly. Larger organizations can make good use of reviewing key recruitment metrics such as the quality of the hire and the cost per hire.
