How do you create the perfect recruitment strategy?

The new year tends to be a busy time in recruitment, with employers having spent the Christmas break reviewing their business and identifying where their teams need supplementing, and candidates maybe looking for a fresh challenge. So if you’re considering identifying and attracting strong applicants to join you, it makes sense to have an effective and well-thought-out recruitment strategy. Here are our tips for the components that will make your recruitment strategy work:

Interview people quickly – as soon as applications come through, arrange the interview, even if it’s on the phone, as delaying may lead to you losing them to an alternative employer

Keep an open mind on CVs – we recommend taking your time to review all CVs thoroughly and to avoid writing them off too rapidly

Don’t draw out the interview process – if you’d like the candidates to meet multiple people within the business, try to arrange those meetings for the same day to avoid any unnecessary delays

Get the contracts and offers out smartly – this will help with decision-making and should reduce the risk of them receiving a head-turning offer from elsewhere

Keep in touch – if the candidate returns the contact, be sure to keep in touch with them before they start, especially if they have to serve a long notice period. In addition, it may be a good idea to get them back onsite to visit again before they start, because the more they feel part of their new team the better they’ll begin their career with you

Reviews on Google and Glassdoor – asking for – and receiving – reviews on Google and Glassdoor can reassure candidates that they are making the right choice for their career and can raise your profile generally. Like it or not, this is the way of the world and it may help to positively influence people’s thoughts on your business, especially if they’re comparing you to other organisations

Benefits – it’s never easy to create the perfect benefits package, but there’s no doubt that attractive packages do help to seal the deal

Remote working / hybrid working – we’re seeing and hearing from both clients and candidates that they’re expecting not to spend every day in the office, whether it’s a case of fully remote or hybrid working. What is certain is that candidates now want and expect flexibility regarding their working patterns

Social media – social media is an excellent platform for you to showcase your business and what it’s like to work within it, as well as the kind of facilities you have on site. Videos of people in the team talking about what they most enjoy about working there is a great idea too. Also, if you have wonderful onsite facilities, such as a gorgeous outdoor space, a canteen, a learning area or a gym, it’s worth promoting those too

Mentoring programme – starting work with a new employer can be daunting, so having a mentoring programme in place is a great way to instil confidence in your candidate that you’re not just going to parachute them in and allow them to sink or swim

Owner of Exact Sourcing, Rosa dos Santos, believes that employers who take recruitment seriously and create a winning strategy are more likely to attract and retain the best candidates. ‘We encourage our clients to try to put themselves in their candidates’ position and think about why they would want to join,’ says Rosa. ‘Gone are the days when high-quality candidates come flooding to your door. The key to successful recruitment is not just presenting your business in the best light, but also demonstrating that you understand the softer side. Providing a great salary and excellent benefits is important, but it’s also crucial to communicate well, right from the start. The more efficient and communicative you are, the more the candidate will feel that yours is a brilliant place to work.’

Exact Sourcing is a recruitment agency in Cambridge and Newmarket. If you’d like to discuss creating a recruitment strategy to build your team, please contact us for an initial discussion.

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