How to build a recruitment plan

A solid recruitment plan saves time and money. In order to find the perfect candidate, you need to think about what your company is, what it does and what kind of qualities you are looking for in a person who will fill an advertised post.

By outlining what you need, you will streamline the process, which helps get your company to where it needs to be. In business, time is money, and the ideal employee wants to be found just as much as you want to find them.

Describe your company and who it needs

You need a short description of what your company does when you recruit employees, so they know if your company is something they will be interested in. Not everyone is a good fit for every company, so a thorough but quick summary of the company and the employment opportunity helps narrow down candidates.

How to find candidates

Generally, there are two main ways businesses recruit employees. One is through advertising and the other is through current employees. If you choose to advertise, make a list of websites and decide which ones are a better fit. Some jobsites are geared toward certain fields, so it’s important to research the focus of each one. Finding candidates through employees can work in a few ways. Word-of-mouth is a powerful recruitment tool, because your employees will usually only tell those who they want to work with, so you can be relatively certain they will fit into your business vibe. You can also set up employee referral programmes in which they are rewarded for successful hiring and retention.

Plot your interviewing techniques

When the applications begin to pile up, how do you want to approach them? Potential candidates should submit a resume. This is the first step toward selecting people to interview, as some might not seem like a good fit at first blush. After you've culled the applications, make a list of those you want to interview. Think about how you would like to conduct the interviews. It could be a multi-step process in which they meet first with you, and later they'll meet with other people in the company; alternatively, this could all happen in one step. During the interview, what types of questions do you want to ask? Make a list of the topics you want to consider, and be clear with yourself about what you are looking for.

Make your selection

Before you make an offer of employment, verify that everything is in place. If you require a background check, first be certain that you have all the information to do that. Check that you are offering a competitive wage for the market you are in and that the wage is competitive with the candidate's experience and salary history.



Follow up

After you have offered your candidate a position, they may need time to think about it. Decide on a time and give your offer a deadline, and then check back if the candidate hasn’t contacted you by that time. This gives you ample time to offer the position to another candidate of your choice, if your first choice refuses. When your candidate accepts, have a start date in mind and also verify that all the processes are clear.

Taking a measured, well-thought-out approach to building your recruitment plan is the difference between finding a long-term employee who'll fit into and who'll grow with your company, and someone who'll be gone before the end of your fiscal year. Take time to think about what you want and need - and then write it down - so you'll have a plan to follow.

-smallbusiness.chron.com