Well, it’s almost July, which means your Talent Acquisition team should be more than 60% on their way to fulfilling their projected hiring targets. So how’s that going? It’s tough, right? Recruiting is one of those functions about which most business people think, “How hard can it be? Just fill the funnel with candidates, sort through them, interview and make some offers!” But, as one of my favorite bosses was famous for saying, “Says easy, does hard.”
Now hiring managers, recruiters and candidates alike are on vacation, and recruiting typically slows to a crawl until September. Then it’s the rush to the finish line before all types of important fall holidays in India, China, Europe, and the U.S. impact hiring productivity again until the New Year. So what’s a leader in need of talent to do? Take these 3 simple steps:
- Prioritize: Clarify for your team and the recruiters working with them which roles are the “must hires”, by what date. A narrowed focus will help make up for lost time and allow the team to avoid distractions and time wasters. Consider sponsoring a fun team reward like a happy hour/trivia night celebration or a new foosball table for the break room if the goal is met.
- Plan: Recruiting is a project, where the objective is the right talent joining the team at the right time. But recruiters are usually long on relationship skills and short on PMO certification. Consider asking a professional Project Manager to assist by spending some time with your recruiters and building out a plan to achieve your targets as if this were an ERP implementation with predictable metrics, deadlines and deliverables. It’s amazing how much outcomes accelerate when agreed targets are met and interim milestones achieved.
- Pull: Get an oar in the water and help the team! Review your LinkedIn network, refer potential candidates and ask team members to do the same. Block off time on your calendar for the regular meetings you and your recruiter have set up to review resumes and make decisions. Brainstorm on new sources of talent, like gig workers to tide you over until the permanent talent arrives. Be open to process accelerators like online assessments, AI powered virtual assistants handling candidate scheduling, and video interviews.
How hard can recruiting be? Pretty hard in a full-employment economy. Even so, with your new prioritize, plan & pull strategy, you’ll come out a talent winner.
Erin McDermott Peterson is a Partner with PeopleResults. Follow her on Twitter @ErinMcPeterson or connect via email at epeterson@people-results.com
