In many ways, Fall is considered a fresh chapter for many businesses and organizations. Summer holidays are wrapping up and now it’s time to get back to business. Fall is also a popular time amongst job candidates.
In our two part blog series we’ll discuss how you can audit your recruitment process and ramp up your talent acquisition before the leaves begin to fall:
- Identify the Talent Your Organization Requires
Gather all relevant information on your business environment and involve key stakeholders to determine the gaps in your organization. Identify who will participate in your recruitment process and if you need external support to help you find the right candidates.
Key questions to consider include:
- Who are you looking for?
- What is the job title? What titles do companies in your industry use? Will they have the same roles and responsibilities?
- What credentials are you looking for?
- Recruitment Research
Research is at the core of every successful search assignment. you want to define the companies where prospective candidates are most likely located and then use data mining and extraction tools, business intelligence websites, and a plugged-in network to identify talent outside the traditional realms of availability and gather people Intelligence®.
Since every search is unique, research needs to be fine-tuned to the position’s requirements and environment, exploring all avenues, and leaving no stone unturned. This stage should not fully close until a hire is made — continuous research and referrals are key to uncovering strong prospective candidates.
Key questions to consider include:
- Who are your competitors? Your best candidates are likely working for them.
- What level do your best candidates sit inside an organization?
- People Intelligence®
Before communicating with prospective candidates, it’s important to review the recruitment strategy, which typically will include a company target list and a candidate “long list” (we call this our initial people Intelligence® Candidate Report).
Reviewing this information gives you an opportunity to vet each list, highlighting companies that may or have yielded high calibre hires for you in the past, as well as your off-limits companies (including vendors, suppliers, and partners).
It also provides an opportunity for you to identify people already known, gauge whether the prospect candidates are on track, as well as any known gaps that may exist in the information before moving forward. Detailed information is captured on each prospect candidate through in-depth pre-screening conversations, and new prospect candidates are developed through referrals and word-of-mouth.
There should be transparency throughout the process, and the intelligence gleaned should be transferred to you as your intellectual property — without candidate ownership, contingency fees, or replacement guarantees.
What’s Next?
Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post as we discuss the second phase of the process including candidate communication, candidate presentation and candidate selection.
Can’t Wait?
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