What Does Proactive Recruitment Mean?

Proactive recruitment is… the Holy Grail.

Being in control of your process.

Capture hiring demand ahead of the need arising. Turning this data into actionable information. Then acting on it.

By doing this, you’ll be able to fill the role when the need arises – proactive.

Not filling the role after it has gone live – reactive.

For a full look at proactive recruitment, check out this post.

This One Weird Trick To Get Proactive In Recruitment

It goes by many names. Workforce planning. Capacity planning. Demand planning. Hiring planning and recruitment forecasting. While they all mean the same thing. We stick to recruitment planning. Names should be simple, right? And what are we doing? Planning our recruitment!

Recruitment forecasting gives connotations of finger in the air. Weatherperson guestimation type thing. What we want to know is: What roles are we hiring and when? If we were going to forecast that. Using all kind of fancy metrics. Chances are the wind will change and… your forecast becomes tomorrows fish and chip paper.

Your hiring plan, however. That is as good as gold. Solid as a rock and as loyal as Lassie.

Who Is This Tutorial For?

This recruitment planning tutorial is aimed at leaders of recruitment. That doesn’t mean HRD’s or even recruitment managers. It means people who aren’t afraid of a little change to make a massive impact. These 5 easy step will set your business up for success. Recruitment planning is the foundation of all of your hiring activity. And as we all know, people make a business successful!

Too Easy?

Sounds too simple to be the solution to your problems, doesn’t it? Exactly the point! It is unbelievable and a downright crime that 80% of business don’t do this properly. What on earth is going on out there?!? As I said, recruitment brings in the people that run your business. Doesn’t it make sense to provide a detailed plan of what to hire? So, they can smash their job out of the park? Bringing in top talent to drive forward business performance.

Yes? Let’s go and get it!

This methodology has been successfully implemented by:

• Recruiters
• Senior recruiters
• Recruitment Managers
• HRBP’s
• HRD’s
• CEO’s

What is your business interested in?

Let’s face it. If you want to get ahead in your business, you must know what the people upstairs value. Is it time to hire? Quality of hire? Candidate experience? Hiring manager experience? Diversity & Inclusion? Whatever it is, this step-by-step guide will boost your performance. That is a promise.

So here we go!

5 Easy Steps to Recruitment Planning

Step 1 – Outline Your Goals

When we first set out fixing recruitment functions the world over. We thought this was an obvious one. Proactive recruitment. Easy! But what it’s important to remember is companies and are at different stages of recruitment maturity model. Plot your company now!

Based on where you are, you will want different results. Stage oners will want nothing more than to take off their flippin’ firefighters’ helmet for one flippin’ minute.

Stage fourers are ready to start thinking about Empty Chair Time.

Plot where you are (and be honest!). Then set yourself some simple and achievable targets. Some examples are:

“By xx.xx.xxxx my hiring managers will understand the benefits for both of us if we smash recruitment out of the park!” – Check out 17 killer implications for hms***

“By [enter date here] I will have provided my hiring managers with a set-in-stone process for providing me with their hiring needs.”

“By [enter date here] I will be capturing Retirees. Mat/pat leavers. Resignations. Retirees. Promotions. Internal mobility and Early careers.”

“By [enter date here] I will have digitalised my process. Bringing me automated results month on month.”

Once you have your recruitment planning targets. You’re ready for step two.

Step 2 – Who and what are you asking?

Who?

Put together a list of the hiring managers you want to ask. Sound scary? Start small. Start with your senior leadership team. One division. Or if you’re Billy Big-Balls or Rock-Hard Rachael, start with everyone. Just start!

This is super easy. All you need is their email address.

What?

What information do you need to capture? What is going to get you ahead of the curve next month? What always stings you in the backside last minute? Start with those.

Check out our Best practice for writing recruitment planning survey questions.

Put these questions in an easy to answer format. Let’s make this painless for hiring managers, shall we?

Step 3 – Inform your Audience!

There is nothing worse than having something sprung on you. Think – Unwanted marriage proposal. If someone you just met proposed. 9/10 they’re getting a big fat no. If it’s someone you love, and you know, hopefully, it’s a yes.

Send your hiring community a, “We are getting proactive and I need you on-board!” email. No idea what to write? We’ve got you covered. Check out our template email here:

This little technique works wonders on your engagement rates. You have primed your hiring community for the road to proactivity 😊 (Hint. You can do this step immediately after outlining your goals).

Step 4 – Send Out Your Survey. Collate. Act.

Hit the big red button!

If you’re lucky enough to get 100% compliance off the bat. Then pat yourself on the back. Our lowest compliance rate has been 71%. You’d be surprised how much your hiring managers want to give you this information. And 71% of something is better than 100% of nothing, right!?

This gives you the opportunity to chase up 29% that didn’t respond. And act on the data from the 71% that did!

Step 5 – Results & Refresh

As everyone tells us. Their business is a dynamic and rapidly changing snowflake. So, it won’t surprise you that this information doesn’t last forever!

But don’t panic! You’ve done the hard work. Your hiring managers are on-board. By now, your results should be coming to fruition. A typical list of results you can expect at this stage are:

• Increase in direct sourcing %
• Reduction in agency placement costs
• Increase ROI from LI Recruiter
• Increase in ROI from advertising spend
• Reduction in Time To Hire
• Reduction in Cost Per Hire
• Boost Quality of Hire
• Improve hiring manager satisfaction
• Sky-rocket the credibility of TA function
• Budget creation is based on robust data
• Acceleration to “Best in Class Resourcing”
• Competitive edge in ‘War for Talent’

Now, simply refine. Look at what worked and didn’t work. What else do you need to capture that you hadn’t thought of? How was the language? Etc.

Refresh. At regular intervals send out your survey again. We recommend either monthly or quarterly. Whatever you think is best.

Easy as that!

That’s all there is to it!

The hardest part of getting proactive in your recruitment is starting. Recruitment planning is no huge secret. And we won’t rest until every company on this planet is doing it!