How to Size Your Recruitment Efforts

As businesses continue to experience growth, human resource departments are tasked with the job of filling the needs of the company with qualified candidates. Recruitment efforts can be a challenge for HR, especially when the company's growth is significant and the need is immediate. Your department must be prepared with a clear-cut hiring process, recruitment plan and a creative approach to attracting qualified candidates.

A clearly defined process must be in place well before a growth in need occurs. Evaluate the hiring process in place, determine how qualified candidates were recruited in the past and brainstorm new strategies to market positions to find the best employees for your company, suggests Workplace Strategist Jessica Miller-Merrell with Talent Circles. Identify steps that slow down recruitment efforts, and examine the strength and weaknesses of recruiters to improve the plan. Implement the new plan with thorough training sessions for all HR employees. Practice the process by providing an instructional video, and workshop with role playing or a reference manual.

Focus on communication to improve recruitment efforts. Interview business leaders, hiring managers and current employees to uncover the needs of each department. Identify the company culture to better assess new recruits. Request hiring managers to compile a list of expectations and refine job descriptions that are outdated. The HR department should then work to ensure each recruiter has knowledge of the company's mission and goals, expectations of the hiring managers and qualities to look for in potential employees.

Attract the best job candidates by setting benchmark goals for recruitment efforts. Request that each recruiter sets goals for the follow-up calls or number of candidates she intends to contact each day. Create incentives and rewards within the HR departments to motivate recruiters. Ask members of the HR department to present at local colleges, community centers and professional workshops to market available positions. Arrange face-to-face meetings with potential candidates, and set up camp at job fairs to attract fresh new talent and recent college graduates. Gather all recruiters together weekly to share experiences, successful strategies and information about new job openings within the company.

Train HR employees to utilize technology to better assess candidates and simplify the screening process. Incorporate pre-interview questionnaires, surveys and personality tests into your recruitment efforts. Data-driven screening processes may also determine the best placement for candidates with specific skills and experience. Encourage face-to-face screening meetings as well to evaluate communication skills and personality traits firsthand.

Allow the needs of the company to guide the processes within the HR company to attract, attain and retain loyal, dedicated and motivated employees. Recruitment efforts that are shaped based on input from hiring managers, upper management and current employees help to identify a clearly defined recruitment plan that benefits both potential candidates and the company as a whole.

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