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Developing a recruitment strategy

A definition:

Recruitment = ‘refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organisation or firm.’ – Wikipedia

This is one of a series of articles by Andrew Fisher – CEO of Media C2C

Recruitment is a challenge in any market and if not done responsibly and effectively can cause untold damage in terms of time, cost and disruption. Increasingly stringent employment laws and a tight employment market means more organisations are realising that effective resourcing (and then retention) is key to their success.

The apparent shortage of candidates with the right skills and experience always creates a fiercely competitive market for talent and since organisational success depends upon having the right people, an effective recruitment strategy is essential.

Developing a recruitment strategy

A well defined and co-ordinated recruitment strategy is required in ensuring that the best people for the right roles are found in the most cost effective and efficient manner. This will reduce the tendency for ‘panic hires’ or short term ‘interim fixes’.

A successful strategy will ensure that there is a sharing of best recruitment practice within an organisation, and that good candidates identified for one role can be kept interested or introduced to other relevant roles. The benefits can also help financially by achieving economies of scale when advertising or using third parties to assist in the process.

Strategy is also about the internal policies and procedures. The recruitment life cycle from vacancy sign off to offer should be consistent across the organisation and at each level. It should use the same proforma style forms for job and person specifications and a similar interview and assessment process for each hire and at every level. This will reduce the tendency for managers stepping outside the process, hiring in ‘panic’ or hiring their mates.

As with any strategy the first step in its development is an ‘as is’ business analysis. This will look at all recruitment activity, costs and processes before developing a ‘to be’ model for the new approach that will incorporate best practice.

As the market develops and becomes more sophisticated (especially with the use of social networks) you should also work with current staff to ensure that your organisation is well represented online and in the forums / networks that your staff and your potential recruits spend their time. This online brand building, networking and ‘socialising’ becomes increasingly valuable in differentiating you from the competition and increasing your recruitment success.

Finally you must not develop your strategy in a vacuum – a good understanding of market factors, skills, salaries and candidate availability is essential as is an honest assessment of your own company’s reputation in the market place.

Media C2C is the employer only job board and candidate database specialising in Media Jobs in the UK.

To learn more: http://www.mediac2c.co.uk/
To upload your cv: http://www.mediac2c.co.uk/candidates/register.aspx
To advertise and search: http://www.mediac2c.co.uk/recruiters/register.aspx