As an HR practitioner, you will know that the function is often unfairly stereotyped as bureaucratic and boring. Those who feel this way probably don’t recognise that the HR team are, of course, essential to the running of a business. This isn’t because HR is needed to respond to employee grievances, as many assume, but because HR is the middleperson between executives and the rest of the business, balancing overarching business goals with the needs of everyone in a workforce.
Arguably, this is the most important aspect of any HR person’s role, but it isn’t always easy striking this balance – especially from a recruitment perspective. Especially as long-term business outcomes are a top consideration even when thinking about how you recruit.
When you’re recruiting the relevant people, you need to ask yourself three things - is the person you’re recruiting right for the specific task needed to achieve your business goals? Are they going to be there for the duration of that journey? And do they have the right character and cultural fit to achieve those goals?
Aligning recruitment efforts with business goals ensures that the organisation hires individuals who possess the skills, experience, and values necessary to contribute effectively to achieving those goals. This alignment minimises the risk of hiring employees who are not a good fit for the company's strategic direction and makes recruitment more tactful and purposeful – but where do you start?
Identifying the skills needed
The first step in the process of balancing your recruitment goals with wider business ambitions is to understand what your goals are in the first place. Do you want to expand the headcount in your firm? Achieve a specific revenue-related goal by the end of the financial year? Or be a market leader in your sector?