Why You Should Be Recruiting Now

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T LEAVE YOUR RECRUITMENT TO THE NEW YEAR

As we fast approach the Winter season it is typically the time of year companies, and their HR Teams decide to put their recruitment on hold and put it off until the new year.

Well, this year isn’t a typical year in the world of recruitment, we continue to find that there is still a shortage of skilled and qualified candidates available, and the process is taking much longer to source and find suitable talent.  So, it is not advisable to wait until 2023, especially if you are looking for January/February starters and wish to find people with the ideal skill set, availability, and personality to join your team.

Have you really stopped to ask yourself how important it might be to extend the period of your search this year and ensure you find the best people for your business NOW?  The current recruitment process needs time and considered thought to ensure you are proactive, rather than reactive, and that you allow time to advertise, interview and offer, prior to a candidate taking a role elsewhere.  It’s much better for your business in the long run to perhaps take time to find the perfect person, rather than fill the vacancy with a poor hire because you have left it too late.

CONSIDER YOUR WORKING ENVIRONMENT

In a candidate driven market, candidates have the upper hand and if you want to be in with a chance of finding the best talent available you definitely need to consider how your working environment/conditions and the overall package will attract them e.g., remote, hybrid, benefits, salary etc.  A recruitment agency can help you research what is competitive and what will appeal to a candidate

We are certainly finding more and more that candidates are looking for flexibility in the workplace and in order to attract highly skilled talent, you may need to factor in more flexible and remote working.  If this is not your current practice, then it might need to be something you consider sooner, rather than later, in order to engage and attract the right people.  So, by meeting and interviewing people this side of Christmas makes a lot of sense, as it will give you the time to gauge how flexible you may need to be to employ the type of candidate you wish to recruit.

KEEP ON TRACK

It is so important to set realistic timelines and follow a well-designed hiring process to help you keep on track. Here are some ways to keep your hiring pipeline moving quickly, and successfully employ the best people this year:

• Identify your hiring needs.
• Prepare interview questions ahead of time.
• Consider when you wish the candidate to start and their potential notice period
• Remind yourself it is a candidate driven market, and there are fewer quality people available so your search may take you much longer than anticipated.
• Work alongside a recruitment agency who have their finger on the pulse and a database of current candidates that maybe suitable.
• Consider the role of temporary staff, if you are unable to take on permanent people until the new year to cover any essential employment gaps.

PLANNING IS PIVITOL

Nobody can predict the future, and the past three years have definitely been a huge learning curve for all of us.  Growth is a great sign for your business, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of quality. This can be a challenge when your hiring needs aren’t thought through and the current employment climate isn’t taken into consideration. That’s where it helps to have an expert who knows how to match the right candidates to your job, and take the stress from you, so you can concentrate on your company targets and year end projects.

Because the next few months will be made especially busy with end-of-year tasks, Project Teams can help maintain their momentum while smoothing the transition to the new year by tackling a handful of tasks right now. It’s a good time to evaluate the team’s staffing requirements for next year, but consider that recruiting takes time, particularly when you’re looking for very senior-level employees or when the company is seeking someone with a niche skill set. You may not have the time to be able to start the hiring process until after the new year, but if you work with an established recruitment agency, they will make their own resources available as soon as approvals are received and get the ball rolling for you.

With many organisations not allowing staff to transfer their holiday to a new year you can potentially face many last-minute holidays in the coming months.  It’s therefore a great time to consider additional coverage in terms of temporary staff, who may perform so well, you consider taking them on full time in the future.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

What are your strategic goals

Whilst engaging in your strategic planning for the new year ahead, consider those tasks regarding recruiting and involve all relevant personnel.  It is essential to be clear about your staffing requirements and share the overall companies understanding of where the corporation is and where it wants to go.  Giving managers a transparent view of potential staffing needs will ensure your leaders are equipped to develop a hiring plan that will align with the overall direction of the business.

Consider all organisational factors such as whether you are increasing your services, product offering or whether you have a major project that will require additional staff members.  With a comprehensive grasp on the direction in which you are going you can then manage your recruitment process much more efficiently.  Effective planning with your HR Team or an external recruitment business will ensure you reach your talent needs and assist in achieving your objectives.

External factors to consider

There is currently limited availability of talent, and this is perhaps the biggest external factor that will affect your recruiting and staffing efforts.  The diminishing pool of individuals who are actively seeking a new role does mean it may take longer to find actively looking candidates.  However, with the assistance of a recruitment agency they can also help lure those individuals who are in employment but may consider the right opportunity if it is presented to them.

It is also sensible to consider the future economic situation, even though we can’t predict what the future holds, having contingencies in place will prepare you for what may lie ahead. With a low unemployment rate there will be an increase in competition for available talent, and with this in mind now is a good time to look to attract them, rather than waiting for a new year to begin.

SUMMARY

Use the Winter months wisely

Arguably, it’s never been harder for employers to attract and keep the talent they need to achieve their business objectives. As you engage in your strategic planning for the last quarter of the year and the new year ahead you will need to be certain of your recruitment requirements and the restrictions on them.  Involving your managers, HR teams and external recruitment agencies with your goals and objectives this side of Christmas will be far more effective for your hiring process considering the current UK employment status.

Gone are the days when employers can put up job postings and expect that a deep pool of qualified, talented candidates will migrate easily. However, recruiters are in the business of competing for candidates on your behalf, just as your company competes for new business, so it is a good time to talk to them about your recruitment requirements sooner rather than later.