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The competition for well-qualified talent has increased over the previous year, and it is causing some sectors a talent headache.
So rather than a reactive response to recruiting for the moment, it’s a strategic approach that’s needed. In this insight, we will look at ways for in-house recruiters to attract, identify, develop and engage talent.
Regional pockets of labour and skills shortage are ever more common, so looking for innovative ways to address the issues around a candidate shortage is worth considering.
There are some opportunities for a longer-term strategy of successful talent management. For example, rather than looking outside of the organisation for candidates is there an opportunity to grow talent from within?
Look in-house
Internal job mobility, especially in larger organisations, can have a positive effect on recruitment. We have a whitepaper on this topic for you to download that explores internal mobility in detail. As a start point, review how you encourage applications from within and how internal job posting is utilised with your ATS and internal systems. Is it easy for internal applicants to apply? and are they fast-tracked through the process?
An employee referral programme can help to generate a good quality of talent. The research from this year’s Candidate Attraction Report shows a slight increase in the use of employee referrals to 71%, with the best results coming from Skilled/Technical/Professional roles and entry-level/low skilled roles. Do you have an effective employee referrals programme in place that you measure for effectiveness?
Attract talent early on
Attracting talent early on with apprenticeships is another way to grow talent from within and invest in ways for young people to have a route into the workplace. There are many ways for young people to access opportunities – internships, work experience programmes, apprenticeships and placements. For example, take the recent GSCE and A-Level results that saw a record high level of grades and the talent that could be a vital asset to develop and nurture with growth opportunities.
Don’t lose your best talent
Retain talent. Do you know attrition rates and turnover rates of new hires and have a strategy in place for preventing attrition or, at best, limiting attrition? Not only does replacing employees cost money but time too. The CIPD Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey 2020 reported that more organisations are making efforts to address retention. Increasing learning and development opportunities remains the most popular step taken to improve employee retention. Increasing pay and improving benefits also remain among the most common approaches used. Fewer organisations take steps to improve retention by improving their recruitment and selection processes to ensure the candidates' suitability. See further resources below for practical advice on how others have approached this.
Be proactive with data & analytics
It is imperative to collect and evaluate data to improve your recruitment approach based on the insights. A recent report from The FIRM suggests quantifying the value of your top-performing hires by implementing an effective ATS, using the right data to help quantify the value of every hire. Recruitment tech continually evolves, and every iteration should modify your hiring process for the better and support a strategic approach to recruitment.
Questions to ask yourself
Do you know where your best hires come from?
What are your business-critical roles, and can you identify the core skills required?
Can you reach out to passive candidates and nurture relationships to address any recruitment challenges?
Are you offering flexible working that enables you to recruit from a broader geography?
Are you proactively recruiting a more diverse workforce, working alongside a diversity strategy?
Download the Candidate Attraction Report
Further reading and free resources
Arbuthnot Latham Case Study – An integrated approach to recruitment
https://www.eploy.co.uk/resources/casestudy/arbuthnot-latham/?utm_campaign=ArbuthnotLathamCS&utm_source=HRGSept21&utm_medium=insight&utm_content=link
Internal mobility whitepaper
https://www.eploy.co.uk/resources/whitepaper/internal-mobility/internal-mobility-whitepaper-an-eploy-whitepaper.aspx/?utm_campaign=InternalMobility&utm_source=HRGSept21&utm_medium=insight&utm_content=link
Improving recruitment & Selection processes
https://www.eploy.co.uk/about-eploy/theblog/5-reasons-to-review-and-improve-recruitment-practi/5-reasons-to-review-and-improve-recruitment-practi/?category=
