As your business enters 2023 you probably have a number of plans for how you are going to manage and grow your business over the coming year.  There’s more than likely a marketing strategy in place, plans for where you want to see growth and you’ve set some financial goals. In addition to those Sales and Marketing plans, now is a great time to look at your recruitment strategy, not just for the coming year but in the long term.  To help companies with this strategy, they have put together some tips on how to get a plan in place.

A 2021 survey completed by CIPD found that 43% of businesses were taking an “ad hoc approach” to recruitment and retention without developing a clear strategy.  The survey also found that in organisations that say talent is increasingly difficult to retain, only two fifths (40%) had undertaken any kind of retention initiatives.

Anthony Sutton Managing Director and founder of Cream HR said “I have to say it comes as no surprise that companies are finding it difficult to retain talent if they haven’t got recruitment and retentions plans in place.  Our advice to businesses would be to take some time to think about who you are going to need over the next 12 months to grow, develop, provide new services and enable internal movements in the business as well as aligning the strategy with individual career development plans.”

Top tips:

• Assess your strategies
  Before starting on your recruitment strategy look at all the other strategies you have in place that apply to recruiting such as your business strategy and other departmental strategies.

• Review good practice
  There are many recruitment strategy templates, and best (good) practices lists available online. Explore them and see what other businesses are doing and what can be applied to your company. Make sure that what you choose is designed to fit your organisation

• Get feedback from stakeholders and recent recruits
  Speak to people within your business.  Chat with the people who do the hiring and those you have hired and find out what they feel works and what doesn’t.

• Examine your HR policies
  Review your current policies and practices concerning benefits, holiday, CSR, flexible working and professional development.  What is going to give you the edge when recruiting for top talent?  Also consider your interview process e.g. will you do a phone call first, will the same people interview all candidates, will they apply consistent processes and are they trained to interview?

• Look at ways to attract candidates
  Explore which channels are best for you to use for recruitment purposes.  Post on your website as this gives candidates a chance to get a feel for your company.  Consider whether you will be posting jobs on social media, job boards, via an agency, a referral scheme and more.  Always bear in mind that what works for one role may not work for others.

Anthony continues: “We always advise clients to try and avoid reactive recruitment as it can lead to hasty decision-making in a bid to fill the gap.   Whilst people leaving unexpectedly is unavoidable if there is a plan in place you and your business will be more resilient for the year ahead.”