To succeed at anything, you need a good plan, and recruitment is no different. For instance, if you don’t want to rely on recruiters & recruitment agencies, having a solid recruitment plan in place is a must to hire the best people for your organization. Otherwise, you will waste plenty of time and resources on recruitment agencies to do the job for you!
We know that direct recruitment can be difficult to deal with on your own plus your other endless responsibilities. However, with a strategic recruitment plan, it gets easier than you think. Meaning, a recruitment plan can help you achieve your goals and hire the best people that your company needs. It makes your recruiting efforts more effective, faster, and less expensive.
But, what is a recruitment plan? And, how to create one that meets your needs?
If you’re asking the above questions, then you’re in the right place!
Read on!
What do we mean by a recruitment plan?
A recruitment plan is a strategy that outlines an organization's approach to identifying, attracting, and hiring qualified candidates for job openings. It typically includes details about the job description, candidate requirements, sourcing channels, hiring timelines, interview and selection processes, and recruitment metrics.
Moreover, a recruitment plan aims to ensure that an organization has a clear and effective process for attracting and hiring the right talent to meet its business objectives. By having a well-planned recruitment strategy in place, organizations can improve the quality of their hires, reduce time-to-hire, and minimize recruitment costs.
In simple terms, a recruitment plan includes all the steps a company undertakes to hire the best people faster & cheaper.
What are the benefits of a recruitment plan?
After we’ve seen what a recruitment plan is, now it’s time to look at some of its benefits:
- Improved quality of hires
A well-planned recruitment plan can help you identify and attract the right candidates for the job, which can lead to better job performance and higher productivity.
- Reduced time-to-hire
Recruitment plans typically include timelines and schedules for each stage of the recruitment process. By following a structured plan, you can reduce the time it takes to fill job openings and minimize disruptions to business operations.
- Cost savings
By identifying the most effective recruitment channels and strategies, you can save money on recruitment advertising, job postings, and other recruitment expenses.
- Consistency in hiring
Recruitment plans provide a standardized process for hiring, which helps ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly and consistently. This makes the whole recruitment process faster and more effective.
- Improved employer brand
A recruitment plan can also help organizations build a strong employer brand by showcasing their commitment to fair and transparent hiring practices.
- Better retention rates
By identifying and hiring candidates who are a good fit for the organization's culture and values, recruitment plans can help improve employee retention rates and reduce turnover.
Here are 6 steps to design a strategic recruitment plan
1. Define your goals
The first step to designing a strategic recruitment plan starts by defining your goals. In other words, your recruitment plan must serve your goals and helps you reach them. Thus, it should be designed accordingly, and the only way to do that is to set clear goals from the beginning.
So, it’s important to reflect on your organization’s needs and what kind of recruitment goals you should have to meet those needs. Remember that your recruitment goals are the backbone of your entire recruitment plan. Therefore, you should define them carefully.
Here is an example of some common goals of a recruitment plan:
- Attracting qualified candidates
The primary goal of a recruitment plan is to attract a pool of highly qualified candidates who possess the necessary hard skills, soft skills, experience, and education to meet the requirements of the open positions.
- Retaining top talent
A recruitment plan should also aim to retain the top talent that is already working for the organization. This can be achieved by offering competitive compensation packages, opportunities for career development and growth, and positive work culture.
- Enhancing the employer brand
The recruitment plan should aim to promote the employer brand to potential candidates. This includes highlighting the company’s mission, values, and culture, and showcasing the benefits of working for the organization.
- Reducing time-to-hire
It should aim to streamline the hiring process, reduce time-to-hire, and minimize the costs associated with recruitment.
- Increasing diversity and inclusion
Aims to increase diversity and inclusion within the organization by attracting and hiring candidates from diverse backgrounds.
2. Try to predict your future hiring needs ahead of time
Now, let’s say you’ve clearly set your recruiting goals in place. Then, the next step in your journey is foreseeing your future hiring needs.
Simply, this is all about predicting how many candidates you’ll need to hire throughout the year. This also includes what type of candidates, their skills, and their qualifications. In return, these predictions can help you when it comes to budgeting and defining the right tactics to identify & attract the right talent.
However, it’s important to note that your predictions won’t be 100% accurate - they’re predictions after all. Still, they will help you drastically when it comes to choosing the right hiring approach that meets your recruitment needs.
3. Have a clear picture of what type of candidates you need
Before shopping, you need a list of the things you need. You cannot just go and waste a lot of money on a bunch of stuff that you don’t need. Well, recruitment is similar to this! In a sense, you should have a clear profile of candidates that meets your needs and the company’s culture & mission.
Therefore, you should ask yourself :
- What type of candidates do I need?
- What sort of qualifications, skills, and personality traits am I looking for?
- What type of values and characteristics my ideal candidate should have?
The above questions are an example of how you can profile and identify the right candidates for your needs. And, remember that you can always refer back to your existing team of employees and identify what makes them ideal for you & your company.
4. Reevaluate your employee value proposition
In today’s highly competitive market, attracting and retaining top talent is difficult without a strong EVP.
EVP stands for employee value proposition, which is essential for improving your recruitment strategy because it helps you attract and retain top talent. Your EVP represents the unique combination of benefits, rewards, culture, and opportunities that your organization offers to employees in exchange for their skills, abilities, and performance.
Think of it as a set of incentives that motivate top-talent employees to work with you and continue working with you. Therefore, evaluating and reevaluating your EVP should be an essential part of your recruiting strategy - as it helps you improve the work conditions, culture, and environment of your company. In return, this helps you attract and retain top talent.
5. Build your sourcing strategy
After reevaluating your EVP, the right time comes for developing a killing sourcing strategy.
A sourcing strategy is all about attracting potential candidates and communicating your employer brand in a way that appeals to them.
So, here are some simple steps to develop a strong sourcing strategy :
- Define your hiring needs
Start by identifying the positions you need to fill, the required skills and qualifications, and any other specific requirements.
- Identify your target audience
Determine where your ideal candidates are likely to be found, including job boards, recruitment platforms, social media platforms, industry events, and professional associations. This will help find the best channels to target your desired candidates.
- Research your competitors
Investigate how your competitors are attracting talent and where they are sourcing candidates from. This can give you an idea of where to focus your efforts.
- Develop a messaging strategy
Determine how you want to position your company and your job opportunities to potential candidates. Consider the benefits of working for your organization and highlight them in your job ad. This step is all about marketing your employer brand in a way that appeals to your target audience.
- Build relationships with potential candidates
Engage with potential candidates through social media, email, or other means. Share information about your company and your job opportunities and build relationships with them. It’s networking, and you know it!
6. Improve your selection process
High turnover rates can be a nightmare for any organization, and countering this issue is also part of your recruitment plan. Well, one of the best ways to deal with this issue is to improve the quality of your selection process.
Here are tips to do that :
- Ensuring fairness
Ensure that your selection process is fair to all candidates, regardless of their background or previous experience.
- Keeping candidates engaged
It's essential to keep your best candidates engaged throughout the selection process, by providing regular updates and feedback. A good candidate experience is important.
- Engaging hiring managers
Hiring managers should be actively involved in the selection process to ensure they have a say in the hiring decision and that they can provide valuable input.
- Streamlining the process
Minimizing administrative tasks by streamlining the selection process can save time and resources.
Final thoughts
Having a solid recruitment plan is essential for any organization that wants to hire the best people and achieve its goals. While relying on recruitment agencies may seem like an easy solution, it can be costly and time-consuming in the long run.
By developing a strategic recruitment plan on your own, you can streamline your recruiting efforts, making them more effective, faster, and less expensive. With a well-designed recruitment plan in place, you can take control of your hiring process, ensuring that you attract and retain the best talent for your organization.