Oy!
That position is open (again!)! The thought of having to go through the process of filling this position causes a capital T-shaped pang in your forehead.
Why the headache? HR recruiters and their hiring managers get panicky when an employee puts in their notice, or senior leadership presents a new role that needs to be filled "right now!" Recruitment becomes yet another critical project on the list—but where do you start? In my experience, the major headaches show up when there isn't a clear plan for tackling recruitment.
So, what's the problem?
Hiring managers--or other team members that should weigh in on hiring decisions--don’t know how or believe they cannot commit to recruitment.
A lot is involved in recruitment: revising and posting job descriptions, advertising vacancies, reviewing candidates, tracking activities, record keeping and, oh yeah, Interviewing, Interviewing, Interviewing!
Reasons why hiring managers, department heads, or other members of hiring teams don't prioritize recruiting vary, and this challenge exists in small and large organizations alike. Small organizations are often spread thin and team members typically wear many hats. Projects pile-up, but recruitment tends to get the littlest attention.
On the other hand, team members at larger organizations with more bandwidth for projects can become disengaged from recruitment since it's not a part of their everyday working life. Recruitment is typically something "corporate" handles, so in the rare cases when recruiting falls onto their desk, headaches set in from the thought of executing the process.
So, what's the prescription?
Thoroughly define, document, and disseminate your organization's recruitment process.
It's tough to get teammates to prioritize and commit to recruitment activities when they don't know what they are! Recruiters can help ensure hiring managers and hiring teams feel confident about their responsibilities by clearly establishing and communicating recruitment policies and procedures.
An established process also helps ensure candidates have consistency in their recruiting experiences, regardless of the roles they pursue at an organization.
Promoting and maintaining a consistent recruiting process across the organization allows recruiters and leaders to understand what's working and not working within their organization's recruitment process.
One quick way to make sure hiring teams are clear about recruiting responsibilities is to conduct a recruitment "kickoff" with the critical members of the hiring team, like the Hiring Manager, HR Recruiter, and anyone in the organization with veto rights. During this kickoff--which is typically a meeting/call--key details about the role to be filled and the process to fill it are hashed out. These details include, but are certainly not limited to, things like: the approved job description and position summary for posting; potential strategies to promote the vacancy; approved salary range; target start dates; members of the hiring team and the role they will play in the vetting process.
The recruitment kickoff provides HR recruiters an opportunity to introduce--or re-introduce--the organization's hiring process to team members and avoid confusion or hiccups after recruitment starts. The kickoff also provides a space for hiring teams to ask questions about recruiting, or even the vacant role, so everyone is on the same page in terms of what an "excellent" process and candidate looks like.
Recruitment doesn't have to be a headache so help make it a seamless process by ensuring your process is established and clearly communicated ahead of time.
What else makes recruitment difficult for you?
Share your experience in the PTS Deep Dive and get a Recruitment Kickoff Guide! This is a 6-step guide that helps recruiters and hiring managers ensure they begin every hiring effort with a proper game plan.
Pascale Hughes is a passionate Recruiter and Talent Acquisition Coach for nonprofit organizations.
Through her informative blog posts and valuable recruiting resources, tools and tips, Pascale supports nonprofit and human resources leaders identify, attract, hire, and retain, talented, Mission-driven employees.
And when she's not in full recruitment or training-mode or creating resources for clients, you can find Pascale collaborating with her social tribe in the PTS Community, reading (or Audibling) a book, or spending time with husband Shannon, and two children, Simon and Tari.
Learn more about Pascale and Proctor Talent Services at www.proctorts.com.