Recruiting: Why we need to be proactive

As reported by pwc in the 21st CEO Survey, “80% of CEOs see the availability of key skills as the biggest threat to their business.” Given this statistic, it seems logical enough to wonder whether hiring and recruiting now become a bigger priority for owners, leaders, and decision makers. But if we decide to go ahead and make hiring a focus, where do we start?

A common recruiting solution

Very often, we’ll see organizations opt for what one might call a reactive recruiting model. In other words, they begin recruiting for a position when it becomes available. Typically, one starts the search from scratch when this happens.

Potentially negative implications of reactive recruiting

  • If it takes time to fill the role, the position remains empty. This increases the workload for others on the team while the search is conducted.
  • If advertising the job online is the primary method, there are inherent limitations. You only hear from candidates who are actively looking for work at the time you have the ad posted. Plus, you only reach those looking at the site(s) on which you posted.
  • Often, decisions are made to hire the best candidate available at the time, and that may not translate into the best overall fit for the role.

So what’s a possible solution?

Another option is the proactive recruiting model. In this case, the HR team is part of the planning process for future openings and potential upcoming replacements. Generally, HR holds a key seat at the leadership table so they can be involved in creating a proactive recruiting plan.

  • Sometimes, it’s simple as periodically running an ad and proactively recruiting for roles where there is a higher turnover. This creates a pool of candidates you can call when a position opens.
  • Or when there’s a new position being created (or even an internal promotion), the HR team gets the heads up so they can begin recruiting proactively.

Making it happen

It definitely takes planning to successfully implement a proactive recruiting model. But while it takes a little time and energy on the front end, it’s worth it when you’re able to fill a job quickly while also making good hires.