Job roles within times of the current economic
climate are said to be reducing - we here all too many stories in the
news now of closures and redundancies that follow, but some industry
sectors are experiencing a boom in recruitment, simply as there are
more candidates out there seeking more secure roles. Bizarrely,
however, the worse the economic climate and the great the job
insecurity the more challenging it can be to find the talent that you
need. Generally people who have a job and some continuous service, are
less inclined to leave and thus your ability to attract candidates into
your jobs reduces. And yet at the same time, when you do advertise a
position you are most likely inundated by applications, many from
people whoa are really not suitable but who have not been given high
quality career search advice and and are using a scatter gun approach
to job search.
Most companies are simply tightening their belts,
so whether you are looking for new recruits to fill existing positions
or you are lucky enough to be hiring new recruits for brand new
openings; a few tips are below to help you seek the best for your
business within that squeezed HR budget:
Recruit Internally
You
most probably have existing employees that are looking to advance their
current role and transfer to enhance what they do already. Your
existing employees are a valuable resource -they already know your
company and how it works, and have proven what they are and are not
capable of..
Using internal transfer benefits you because it's
cheaper than hiring an agency and paying them their finders fee, and
it's also great for moral as your employees see that you look
internally before using outside recruitment.
Using internal
recruitment allows you to pinch your budget, and with a good selection
of existing employees you possibly already know or can see just how
much motivation, energy, knowledge and skills (leadership,
assertiveness etc) certain people possess.
Position yourself carefully externally
In
order to create a manageable number of applicants be very specific
about what you are looking for and ensure that your advert states that
applications that do not meet the specification will not be considered.
Think
also about how you position your company, job and benefits to attract
candidates who are currently in jobs. Perhaps you offer them some
additional financial security.
Summary
So
when attracting new recruits, look first to your current team where you
will most likely find a willing candidate and perhaps hidden talent.
Still
advertise outside the business, but you may well wish to strictly
narrow down the applicants before the interview stage in order to
maximize time and effort.
Finally, interview some of your top
performers and get a feel for what they are looking for. You have great
chances here of getting to know a few of your employees a little more,
with a view to transferring them to fill another role. Failing this,
you will know what the employee is looking to do and how they intend to
use the skills they have learned in their current role - you may well
open another role in the future that they are perfectly placed for.