What is Strategic Recruitment Plan?

What is Strategic Recruitment Plan?

“Human resources are like natural resources. They are often buried deep. You have to go looking for them. They are not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves”. This is a famous quote by Ken Robinson that illustrates strategic action. What is Strategic Recruitment Plan?

A strategic recruitment plan is a formal course of action that attempts to successfully meet the staffing needs of the organization.  The purpose of such a plan is to gain a competitive advantage over other players in the industry and sector. The aim is to acquire highly qualified and skilled personnel that have mastered the industry and sector. Let us look at how we can develop and implement this plan in our respective organizations to give us the desired results. 

Developing a Strategic Recruitment Plan

Goals and Objectives

Establish the purpose of the recruitment exercise. “Why has it suddenly become important?”, “Do you merely need to rearrange the teams? ” and “Will the new addition improve the strategic advantage?”. These are some of the questions that need to be answered to outline recruitment goals and objectives.

Workforce Inventory

Review the composition of the current staff population in terms of quality and quantity. Quality refers to the physical and behavioral attributes of the appropriate candidate. It also includes the candidate’s skills and knowledge. Quantity refers to the staff population per department and in the entire organization. Some departments could be bloated, while other departments could be stretched to the limit.

Candidate Profiles

This involves preparing the job description and person specification. These documents will help create an “image” of the person required to propel the organization to the next level in their respective role. When we want to be strategic, we must look for a game-changer and not just an average worker. Hence, it is important to list down the attributes, skills, knowledge, and experience of the required person.

Value Proposition

Most people do not want to work in an average company doing average jobs. They want to improve their living standards and popularity in society. They want to be reputable and revered. Highly qualified professionals want to know the compensation and benefits package in advance because they are confident that they can deliver impeccable results to the organization. Employers need to have head-turning benefits and incentive plans to attract high achievers. 

Sourcing Methods

Identify the most appropriate and practical techniques to attract highly qualified professionals. Select techniques frequently used by these high achievers. As we have seen, high achievers are strategic in career development. They are competitive, as a result, the stakes are high for the employer. These professionals have to be sought after unlike the average worker who is too common and willingly accepts unfair employment terms out of desperation.

Some of the sourcing methods that can be used include:

  • Promotion or Transfer – this sourcing is internal and existing employees are selected for senior or leadership positions. Develop procedures that guide this process to ensure that selection is done on merit. This will enhance transparency and accountability in the process.
  • Re-hiring – this refers to boomerang employees. This group of employees left the company in the past due to personal reasons. They are good candidates because they understand the culture of the organization. They have also gained additional knowledge and skills working in the other companies. Therefore, they will give the company a strategic advantage.
  • Head-hunting – this refers to hand-picking highly qualified candidates working in other organizations. These candidates have a good reputation, high performance, unique certifications, and adequate experience, among other attributes. As a result, they easily attract potential employers.
  • Referral Program – this is a recommendation program. Existing employees refer acquaintances or friends for job vacancies in the organization. The referred candidates may or may not be employed but are considered to be high-performing individuals and skilled workers.
  • Direct Advertising – this is the use of internally developed job advertisements that are circulated to members of the public or internal stakeholders to notify them of a vacant position in the organization. The internal stakeholders share with their networks so that they can start the application process. The same applies to the qualified members of the public who have access to the advertisement. The advertisement is circulated using various types of media such as electronic, print, and social media.

Selection Process

In a shortlisting process, the idea is to sift through the pool of applications using pre-determined criteria suitable for that particular vacant role. Identify the categories that will be used in the process of elimination so that a manageable number of candidates can be invited for the interview. This process is easier with automated systems such as Human Resource Information System (HRIS). However, manual processes are still utilized by some companies. This is the reason candidates are advised to have a revamped resume that will capture the interest of the recruiter in the first few seconds. A recruiter sifts through massive paperwork, therefore, a candidate’s resume needs to stand out quickly and clearly to get the deserved attention.

Some of the categories that can be used in the selection process include:

  • Skills and Attributes – these are the abilities and talents possessed by a candidate. Some are learned while others are innate. For instance, communication skills, interpersonal skills, ability to multi-task, and ability to work under pressure, just to mention a few.
  • Professional Qualification – this refers to the career pursued by the candidate and related certifications. Some careers and certifications include accounting, administration, human resources, supply chain, and information technology, among others.
  • Work Experience – this refers to the various positions held by the candidate over a period of time. The positions held previously may be in formal or informal employment such as an accountant, a technician, and an advocate, among others. 
  • Industry Knowledge – this refers to the in-depth understanding of the operations of a particular industry or sector. It involves knowing what breaks or makes companies that undertake business activities in that specialization area. 
  • Expected Remuneration – this refers to the compensation and benefits that individual desires to earn for undertaking a certain role in an organization. It is determined by rank, experience level, job complexity, risk level, and professional qualification, just to mention a few.

Determine which interview method is suitable for the candidates and the industry. Identify the pros and cons of each interview method before incorporating it into your plan.

Some of the interview methods that can be considered include:

  • Structured Interview – this interview requires an interview schedule which is a document with a set of close-ended questions. The interviewer strictly adheres to the interview schedule and asks questions in the given order.
  • Un-structured Interview – this interview requires an interview guide which is a document with open-ended topics. The interviewer asks random questions guided by the list of topics provided.
  • Semi-structured Interview – this interview is a combination of structured and unstructured interviews. Both close and open questions are used. Both a guide and a schedule are also used. 

On-boarding Process

Prepare a suitable onboarding program for recruits who join the organization. This process has two components, induction and orientation programs.

  • Induction Program – this is a short-term process. It entails welcoming the new recruit to the organization and introducing him to other employees. It is done on the first day of their arrival.
  • Orientation Program – this is a long-term process that can take several days. It entails informing the new recruit about company culture, policies, and procedures, among other things.

Tools and Technology

Inventions and innovation processes always have one goal, to make life easier. HR departments should try as much as possible to use systems and software that enhance their performance. Incorporate these system proposals into the strategic recruitment plan to keep up with emerging trends and competition in the industry.

Some of the technological advancements relevant to the HR department include:

  • MIS – this refers to the Management Information System. It is a database containing all the information used in company operations. It combines information from various departments and consolidates them into one centralized reservoir for easy access, manipulation and reporting.
  • ATS – this refers to Applicant Tracking System. This software is specifically meant for recruitment and hiring processes.
  • Biometric System – this is a surveillance and attendance system used by organizations to identify the physical and behavioral characteristics of employees.
  • ERP – this refers to Enterprise Resource Planning System. It automates and integrates important aspects of business operations in the organization such as administration, finance, and procurement, among others. 

Recruitment Budget

Resources are a part of any meaningful corporate process including recruitment. Develop a conclusive budget for this process incorporating finances, personnel, infrastructure, and equipment, among other things. Involve relevant stakeholders whether internal or external to assist in this process. This will ensure that nothing is left out only to be discovered at the last minute.

Importance of a Strategic Recruitment Plan

Alignment

A sound plan will align employees with the overall corporate strategic plan. They will better understand the mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives of the organization. This will help them have a better grasp of their significance in the organization structure. Employees register high performance and productivity when they perceive that they are valued and have a significant role to play in the success of the organization.

Efficiency

When vacancies are advertised there is an influx of resumes in the HR system database. Only shortlisted candidates are invited for the next recruitment stage, this leaves many of the applicants out. This is a benefit to the organization since the next time they have relevant job opportunities, they can sourcing save time and use the archived records to fill the vacancy. This reduces recruitment time and recruitment resources by a huge margin.

Candidate Experience

Planning will always ensure that activities are well presented and organized. This makes the participants in the recruitment process have a smooth transition from one stage to the next. Since the process has been strategically planned, errors and delays are minimized and each step is significant in the entire process. Candidates go through the process swiftly because it is transparent and flawless.

Candidate Quality

Highly qualified candidates are attracted to an organization since they perceive that its values and work ethic are sound. They aspire to be part of a prestigious and highly organized entity. They perceive that their interests will also be taken care of due to the high ethical position held by the organization. This makes the pooling of candidates easy and filling of vacancies is faster. The quality of goods or services improves because the organization has the best talent pool in its industry.

Employer Branding

Public relations and corporate social responsibility objectives are easily achieved when the organization is positively perceived in society. Transparent recruitment processes help build trust in the community. Members of the public prefer dealing with organizations that practice a high level of integrity. They will opt for goods and services from this entity which in turn increases profitability and popularity.

Cost Cutting 

Any planned process will automatically preserve resources. This is because all decisions and actions were well thought out. In addition, contingency plans were developed to avert any form of crisis. The clarity of thoughts, decisions, and actions ensures that resources are properly allocated and utilized. For instance, due to an existing talent pool database, less time is taken, sourcing candidates. On the other hand, solid employer branding attracts highly qualified candidates. These are examples of how organizations can conserve resources with appropriate strategic plans. 

Saves Time 

Appropriate plans ensure that less time is spent on activities and operations in the organization. Processes and programs are transparent and efficient. There is a clear understanding of corporate and individual expectations. Hence, roles and responsibilities are performed in the shortest time possible. Delays are reduced if not eliminated with clear processes and expectations. The same applies to a properly executed strategic recruitment plan. The use of databases, electronic systems, HR software, and analytics enhances employee and candidate experiences. Automation reduces the duration taken to explain and implement activities.

Diversity

Strategic recruitment plans foster inclusion and diversity which are emerging issues in society. With keen preparations, organizations can review most of the ethical dilemmas that exist in society and ensure that their policies address these issues in all areas of their operations including recruitment. This enhances compliance levels, risk management capabilities, and popularity in society.

Staff Retention

Robust compensation and benefits programs will always improve employer branding and employee satisfaction. These programs motivate employees to work hard and remain loyal to the organization. Hiring quality staff also reduces high turnover rates since the business remains profitable and employees are compensated well. With such a positive corporate culture, employees would not seek alternative jobs since their interests and well-being are catered for adequately.

Complex Jobs

Some positions in any organization are complex to undertake due to the expertise required. In addition, academic coursework related to these complex positions is a challenge due to the training methodology required. Only a few institutions might have the necessary infrastructure to undertake these courses. The result is that these courses are expensive to pursue and very few members of the public possess these rare certifications. However, with solid employer branding and compensation perks, attracting this unique personnel is easy. 

Challenges of a Strategic Recruitment Plan 

Public Image

When an organization lacks social responsibility, has unethical practices, and produces substandard goods or services, the public image is tainted. It reflects negatively on the leadership and employees. This gives it a poor reputation in the industry and attracting talent to such an organization proves difficult.

Corporate Culture

Some organizations have a toxic work environment. There is no transparency or accountability in any of the decisions, actions, and operations. There is no adherence to compliance requirements and risk levels are extremely high. These organizations end up nurturing corrupt leadership and workforce. It is an extremely difficult environment to work in as an employee or deal with as a consumer. No talented professional would want to work for such an organization. 

Code of Conduct

Corporate code of conduct can be extremely restrictive about operations such as recruitment. The rules and regulations are in antagonism with the organization’s strategic positioning. For instance, policies that encourage internal sourcing rather than external sourcing in recruitment tend to limit the HR department in its efforts to get the most qualified candidates through the door or to change toxic cultures in the organization.

Regulatory Compliance

Government laws can also restrict the internal operations of an organization and limit its strategic ability. For instance, high taxation is usually a burden to an organization such that it affects the compensation and benefits programs. The organization would want to be a preferred employer in the industry by offering the best remuneration packages but they are restricted by payroll expenses and legislations that have to be given priority.

Compensation and Benefits 

Some employers are just selfish! They are greedy, stingy and retain a bigger share of the organization’s revenue instead of compensating employees responsible for generating it. This is due to poor corporate culture and a toxic work environment. The leaders have poor values and no moral compass in their selfish beings. This problem is difficult to rectify since the culprits are the business owners or directors. Government agencies that monitor regulatory compliance are the only entities that attempt to resolve this problem. However, in some cases, they also end up being corrupted. They are given bribes so that they can overlook the employees’ injustice. The employees remain at the mercy of unethical employers. This gives the organization a bad reputation in society and attracting talent becomes a challenge.

Industrial Relations

Trade unions can also be a barrier to the development and execution of strategic recruitment plans. Trade unions have employee ratios that need to be adhered to otherwise industrial disputes arise which are complex to manage. Organizations would rather not get confrontational. Instead, they maintain the status quo which does not foster development.

Technological Advancements

Inventions and innovations are meant to improve effectiveness and efficiency. Unfortunately, software developers go overboard with their technological aspirations. For instance, some systems simply cannot operate without daily input from the IT department. This wastes a lot of time for the users who would wish to work independently and at their own pace. In other cases, candidates find HRIS systems complex and they are not user-friendly. The application forms are sometimes too detailed or the applicant has to duplicate actions like uploading the resume and feeding the same data in the system. This makes even the most qualified candidate abandon the application process due to the tedious steps involved. This goes contrary to the initial objective of the system, simplicity! In addition, the organization ends up losing valuable candidates to competitors with user-friendly systems and application processes.

Biasness and Favoritism 

This can arise due to a variety of reasons, mostly personal to the leader or employee. An individual can favor certain people, policies, and locations, among other things, due to their upbringing and past experiences. Biasness fosters a poor corporate culture and a toxic work environment. These two factors challenge any strategic or development efforts in an organization. In addition, the leaders may prefer internal rather than external sourcing methods since they want to reduce costs forgetting that this will affect the recruitment strategic goals. Biasness or favoritism will always prevent progress. Lack of progress keeps away desired candidates.

Data-Driven Approaches

This is mostly due to automation. We rely on systems and analytics so much, that we forget we are dealing with human beings and not machines. The analysis done may rank candidates well but some jobs require attributes that can only be measured through actual interactions with the candidate. Recruitment teams might strike out an extremely qualified candidate due to a system malfunction or wrong system settings.

Conclusion 

A strategic recruitment plan is not an ordinary recruitment plan. It has to give the organization a competitive advantage in staffing. The plan targets “crème de la crème” in the professional world and not the average worker. By getting this “special breed” of employees, the organization hopes to be a known brand in its industry. Appropriate steps need to be taken when developing this plan. Despite having several benefits, organizations that wish to implement this plan should also be aware of the challenges that come along with it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is meant by the term “strategic”?

This is focusing on the most important aspect of a process to achieve desired results.

  1. What is a “data-driven approach”?

This is reliance on system information in decision-making. The data is collected, analyzed, and reported to relevant people for action.

What is Strategic Recruitment Plan?

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