Continuing on from our series of blog posts about Strategic Human Resources Management, this week we take a look at Recruitment & Retention Strategies. You can play catch-up with our previous posts here, here & here.
Right now, the reality for many businesses is that quality candidates, or just any candidates for that matter, are hard to come by. Whether that be because of a skills shortage, geographical location, that the vocation lacks a bit of “cool factor”, ineffective recruitment practices or the reputation of the employer; businesses approaching their talent acquisition efforts without having some sort of plan in place is an inefficient use of financial & people resources.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Hiring the right candidate for a role has never been more important as Millennials and Gen Z rapidly become the cornerstone of the workforce. Their fluid and transient approach to employment is a far cry from the ‘job for life’ attitude of the Baby Boomers, and as a result there is a continual flow of employees. And it means organisations have their work cut out for them.
You have to have a killer Recruitment & Retention strategy in place in order to thrive in today’s hiring quandary. Business has to be proactive, not reactive, to overcome the big challenges that modern-day recruiting faces.
An effective Recruitment & Retention strategy should focus on 3 key areas; how you source candidates, how you recruit candidates and then the clincher – keeping them, we drill down into this a bit below:
Create a (healthy) culture & brand – All companies need a strong identity & a part of that is cultivating a positive workplace culture. And it’s about showing this off to potential employees. Use your social media & website as your companies CV. Build a brand online & tell people about yourself, sell yourself as somewhere people will WANT to work. Want to read more on workplace culture? Click here. Looking for info on building a brand? Check out this post.
A killer digital strategy – Attracting candidates today is largely based on digital marketing. Create a strong digital campaign to showcase your brand and what it can offer for employees, use your social media accounts to leverage your message and to widen the net.
Make it easy for people to apply – People can be put off by a tedious or long-winded application form and drop off can be high on digital applications that ask too many questions that aren’t relevant. Number 1 candidate bugbear is to have to basically copy & paste from their resume into the online application process. Also consider if the position really needs the applicant to address a 10 point selection criteria, yes they can be effective for more specialised roles to gain an insight into the candidates level of knowledge prior to interview, but if your HR department can’t determine a great administrator or labourer just by reading the applicants resume then there is something very very wrong. How long is your lead time from advertising – interview – offer? Drag your heels and you’ll not only miss out on that great candidate but turn people off from applying again. I’ve written some super informative blog posts about the recruitment process here, here, here
Make them want to stay – OK, you’ve got them through the door but what strategies are you engaging to make them want to stay? And it’s not all about dropping some serious coin; what opportunity are you offering employees? Are you helping them develop their skill & capacity? Do you offer the tools for them to do their job safely? Are your leaders the right people for the job? check out this blog on retaining top talent, and this one on employee recognition to learn more.
The strategy should also contain the following core aspects:
Growth Plans – In order to scale up your workforce, you’ll need to hire – which takes time and resources; identify which areas of your business will benefit most from increased headcount.
Skills Audit – Use your business objectives to identify developing areas of the business, then decide on the skills you will need to succeed; Your recruitment strategy should include ways to find and bring new skills into the company
Flexibility – Your strategy should include a plan for temporary staff and contractors to cover projects that are likely to change at short notice
Finding the right person for the job doesn’t need to be a difficult task. It’s just about having the right strategies in place to make it as streamlined as possible. The People & Culture Office can partner with you to develop your people & culture strategies to drive business success. Contact Simone today for further information.
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