Recruiting in 2010? More Hints from the Experts:

Back by popular demand… more helpful hints from the experts as to how your organisation can pick up the talent it needs to get it through the economic labyrinth ahead…

6. Hire in haste, repent at leisure

OK, as noted in the last blog, you’ve got to get a move on when planning your recruitment strategy for the recovery and beyond - but that doesn’t mean you should rush into the actual hiring activity too. Panicking when facing gaps in your team, or when worrying about letting a flood of new talent flow through your fingers, won’t help your organisation through the next months and years. Take a deep breath and ignore sudden rushes of blood to the head; hire with tomorrow in mind, not just the next five minutes.

“While the prospect of increased workloads may at first be daunting, employers must not succumb to the temptation to indiscriminately fill vacancies irrationally or as soon as possible,” cautions Adecco’s Steven Kirkpatrick. “Even when it seems that candidates are lining up at the door, employers should never rush into their hiring decisions. Just because they feel that time is not on their side; inevitably this will only impact negatively on other staff through increasing their workload and could affect the business in the long term. Poor hiring can be expensive too; often lowering productivity and in the worst cases employers may be forced to re-hire again if the candidate is really not up to the required standard.”

7. Be aware of the bigger picture - understand the recruiting sector

Obviously, it helps pretty much everyone in business to have an understanding of the broader economic picture; however, those working in recruitment should recognise the benefits of understanding not just those sectors into or from which they’re recruiting, but also the recruitment sector itself. Significant changes are occurring within the industry that affect both the market and the ways in which recruiters operate within it. Miss the bigger picture while you’re busy rolling out your sector-specific pitch, and you could also miss the boat entirely.

Robert Richards of Devonshire says that his company “is approaching the recovery conscious of two core themes. Firstly the sense that the 'War on Talent' continues unabated. Secondly; organisations should be (even) more flexible in the way they on-board their talent.

8. Using external recruiters doesn’t mean you don’t have to be flexible

There’s a definite temptation when outsourcing your recruitment to insist on very rigid parameters in terms of compensation and incentives for potential hires - but setting a price and sticking to it might not make the most of what your recruiters can do. Allowing a bit of flexibility into what your providers can offer, in terms of access to things like bonus packages, pension provision, healthcare offerings etc, might well mean they can secure top talent at a lower salary level than you’d budgeted for.

“Many clients seem to believe that the market is flooded with great talent and that as such they can stubborn with their demands,” warns Rob Grant of Dragonfly Recruitment. “Good people are still hard to find and employers who show flexibility - be it in working arrangements, remuneration or other aspects of the recruitment process - will find themselves more likely to find the perfect person.”

9. Look inside as well as out

As a successful organisation you’ve got to be confident of your ability to hire and retain talent right from the very first day it walks through your hallowed doors - so if you’ve spent all this money, time and effort on attracting raw talent why not try to utilise it when seeking to fill new vacancies? Especially if you have access to an internal talent pool.

“Employers should not overlook the possibility of internal promotions or re-structures. Although business cannot afford to “just leave it” when business picks up, employers should consider that they may have sufficient resources within. Be clear on just how much work there is to be done and who has the potential bandwidth to assist in a role outside of their original remit,” recommends Adecco’s Steven Kirkpatrick.

10. Make your voice heard, all down the chain…

Everyone wants the ear of the top brass - so ensuring you’ve got it becomes all the more difficult (and of course all the more important) - but it’s advisable to make sure as many people as possible, boardroom to postroom, understand the importance to the organisation of coherent and cohesive recruitment. After all, everyone can do their part to make the recruiting process and the talent-retention element as smooth and successful as possible.

“Smart hiring decisions will help build a more productive workforce with better retention; which in turn helps build good company morale and saves the company money in the long-term. Once the economy turns around, employee goodwill will be of paramount importance,” urges Nick Walrond of Sanderson Recruitment plc.