With lower unemployment rates, many HR professionals are finding it more than difficult to manage their recruiting processes than in recent years. This market shift has created a greater challenge than just finding talent. It also means that companies need to really focus on their employee engagement.
A common challenge is that their recruiters and HR professionals are working on large volumes of openings which are taking longer to fill than in years past. In some cases, this is coming at the expense of employee engagement. While there is rightfully a push on being creative in finding and attracting talent, there needs to be an equal push on engaging existing employees.
The cost of losing an existing employee is often greater than the cost of having a vacant position. So, with all of the hype around making sure you are recruiting the right talent, don’t forget to protect and engage the talent you already have. I can promise you someone is out there ready to poach your most valuable employees! You don’t want to have a backfill position as soon as you fill a vacant position. The net effect will be null and exhausting!
When clients ask what they should do, it really comes down to a handful of things that can help with recruiting and retention:
- Be responsive to candidates and employees
- Be creative and resourceful – don’t be scared to try something new
- Have a plan – you would never launch a new product without a marketing strategy, so why launch a recruiting or retention strategy without a marketing plan
- Communicate – in failed recruiting efforts and in failed retention efforts, a lack of communication is frequently the cause
- Know the cost of a vacancy and the cost of turnover- this alone may help justify the expenses for some of your recruiting and retention ideas (and I know you HR professionals and recruiters out there have some GREAT ideas)
When asked about recruiting these days, the best response I can give is in the words of Bob Dylan, “They Are A-Changin’.” We have to change with them, or we will get left behind. We are changing! Are you?
