How to create a great recruitment strategy

2 mins read
Great Recruitment Strategy

almost 3 years ago

​Getting your recruitment strategy right is key to hitting your business goals. Here are some expert tips to help you set up your company for success – and the shortcuts to keep you ahead of your competition.

​What is a recruitment strategy?

A recruitment strategy is a clear plan that explains what roles you’ll recruit for, when, why and how. It should be tied to your overall company objectives.

Your strategy must be possible to implement and easy to communicate. While you can tweak your tactics, the strategy must always be clear.

Unsure how many employees you’ll need? Hiring temporary staff helps you expand quickly and risk free.

The core aspects of a great recruitment strategy

Growth Plans

  • In order to scale up your workforce, you’ll need to hire – which takes time and resources.

  • Create a measure to help you identify which areas of your business will benefit most from increased headcount.

  • This could focus on return on investment or opportunities lost.

Shortcut: Unsure how many new employees you’ll need? A recruitment agency will give you access to temporary staff and contractors to help you expand quickly and risk free.

Employer Brand

  • Make sure your employer brand and message are attractive to your target audience, particularly over social media. A well-known brand is a big selling point to talented job hunters.

  • Be open and transparent about the company’s working culture to ensure you attract candidates that will match your business.

Shortcut: If your brand isn’t well known, a recruitment agency can contact candidates directly and spend time promoting your employer messages.

Skills Audit

  • Use your company objectives to identify developing areas of the business, then decide on the skills you will need to succeed.

  • Your recruitment strategy should include ways to find and bring new skills into the company.

  • Employers often focus on advanced digital and technical skills, but you should also consider bringing in candidates with different experiences.

Shortcut: When interviewing for a role you’ve never done yourself, your recruitment consultant can offer interview tips and support to build your confidence.

"You can tweak your tactics, but your end goals must be clear."

Flexibility

  • If your company needs to adapt quickly to an unpredictable market then hiring permanent staff may not be the right option.

  • Your strategy should include a plan for temporary staff and contractors to cover projects that are likely to change at short notice.

Shortcut: Unless you already have an advanced payroll function, it makes sense to ask your recruitment agency to manage payroll for your temporary workforce. They look after tax, holiday pay and even pension contributions – saving you a lot of hassle.

When to review your recruitment strategy

You should always be thinking about how you differentiate your company from your competitors, and how you can be a more attractive prospect for potential candidates.

Pay close attention to all aspects of the recruitment process, and make tactical tweaks throughout the year when necessary – while holding firm to your recruitment strategy.

You should review your overall recruitment strategy annually to make sure it ties in with your wider business objectives. It’s important that everyone in the company understands your goals – so be clear and concise about what success looks like and how you will get there.

Evolution of work Guides

You may also be interested in

Menopause policy (downloadable template)
1 mins read
  1. Article

Menopause policy (downloadable template)

​Among the many practical workplace measures employers can offer to support employees going through menopause, a dedicated menopause policy will provide a foundation for fair treatment and a point of reference for employees in need of advice or guidance. A willingness to listen to those who are facing this sometimes-challenging life stage amplifies a company’s culture, demonstrates a commitment to learn and act, ultimately leading to greater employee happiness and retention, and new talent attraction.

To help you decide on the type of support you might offer your employees, we have created a menopause template outlining what menopause is, who it affects, common symptoms and some practical steps that might be considered to help people manage their symptoms at work – from flexible working to desk fans and access to quiet wellbeing spaces.

In June 2023, Reed conducted a snap survey of 1,000 employed women in the UK aged 45-54 who are experiencing the menopause. When questioned whether they felt their symptoms affect them at work physically, 74% agreed – while a shocking 77% said they felt their symptoms impact them mentally.

And while 44% state they are comfortable talking to their employer about menopause, an almost equal number – 42% – are not, suggesting more needs to be done to support workers.

According to the survey, 46% of people said their employer does not have a menopause policy in place, while 28% didn’t know. Using our template can remove the doubt and uncertainty among staff and instil confidence in receiving support when needed.

Our editable workplace menopause policy template includes:

  • What is menopause?

  • Understanding the terminology

  • Some common menopause symptoms and the support available

  • Key responsibilities and who to contact

  • Additional support

Menopause can no longer be swept under the carpet – our policy template can be used as a guide to update your current policy, or will allow you to create a policy if you don’t already have one.

​

Best practice for creating an induction checklist for new staff
5 mins read
  1. Article

Best practice for creating an induction checklist for new staff

​​Inductions are vital to ensuring new staff settle into an organisation and make a positive impact. Using a straightforward induction checklist can make onboarding simpler and more effective.

A concise and well-structured induction checklist for new staff can heighten the entire induction process, leading to seamless onboarding and, most importantly, allowing the new starter to hit the ground running.

Using an induction checklist can remove some of the pressures managers and HR professionals face. We examine everything you need to know about an induction checklist.

What is an induction checklist?

An induction checklist outlines the activities set for a new employee to complete within the initial stages of their employment. Its purpose is to ensure objectives are met and organisational matters are understood and to avoid omission or duplication of information.

A staple of the onboarding process, an induction checklist is a critical tool that has proven success in effectively managing new starters. It doesn’t, however, cover tasks that need to be done before the new employee arrives. Equipment, uniform, passwords and software access should be planned well in advance so that the new starter has everything they need from day one.

The benefits of creating an induction checklist

An induction checklist helps your employee settle in quickly, giving them a sense of direction from the start of their career at an organisation. This will improve their overall productivity, through the checklist’s set tasks aimed at increasing their knowledge of the company, their rights and, ultimately, their responsibilities. Induction checklists don’t just benefit employees, they can also make a manager’s job simpler.

During the induction process, an induction plan template helps ensure the right materials, policies, procedures, and workflows are all actioned and accounted for.

Using a staff induction template prepares the new employee for each step, reducing any anxiety, while also making sure all necessary administrative areas are covered. A well-structured checklist can ensure the smooth running of the induction process and can also be transferable to most roles across multiple sectors.

What should be included in an induction checklist?

The activities and tasks listed in an induction checklist vary from organisation to organisation, depending on various elements including the size of the company and the sector or industry they fall under. Popular inclusions are as follows:

Employee's personal information

This section includes the name of the employee, their job title, staff ID number and start date. Some employee induction templates also include a detailed list of all paperwork that needs to be compiled and submitted to human resources on the first day (passport, p45, qualifications etc.).

First day tasks

Ensuring that new employees are familiar with their surroundings and the people around them is crucial on the first day of work. New employees should meet fellow team members and relevant managers, be assigned a workstation, issued with office ID badges and given a tour of the facility.

Introduction to the company

An introduction to the company should be conducted within the first week of the new starter joining the business. This gives the new employee the chance to learn more about the company's history, values, management style, objectives, products and services, organisational structure, and key stakeholders.

Introduction to the role

Most importantly, the employee will need an understanding of how they fit into the organisation, their day-to-day tasks that integrate into the company's practices, their main responsibilities and priorities, as well as department-wide goals and objectives.

Terms of employment, such as pension contributions, working hours, pay, lunch breaks, annual leave and claims and expenses should also be covered.

Induction checklists should also include an organisation's code of conduct, discipline, absenteeism, and relevant policies. Other information such as office dress code, operating procedures and use of company resources need to be relayed to the employee.

Health and safety

New employees will need to attend training to learn the company's health and safety policies, including first aid, safety measures, emergency evacuations, firm alarm drills, as well as the location of fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

One month review

After one month in the role, it would be worth the new starter having an extended one-on-one meeting with their line manager to evaluate how they are adjusting to their role and whether there is a need for further training or development.

Three-month review

The line manager should hold further discussions with the employee to review performance, pinpoint areas of improvement and set longer-term objectives, while adjusting any targets if the employee is either up to speed or slightly behind.

Six-month review

If the employee is on a six-month probation, this is the point to decide whether to retain them, release them, or extend the probation if needed. If the new starter passes their probation period, objectives will then need to be set for the next six months. The six-month mark presents a prime opportunity to ask the employee for feedback on the induction process, what they think worked well and what they feel could be improved.

Do remote employees need an induction checklist?

They may not be in the office, but that doesn’t mean remote employees don’t need an induction checklist. In fact, an induction is even more important to remote employees, who can often feel isolated or become inadvertently left out.  

As remote onboarding becomes more common, use of an induction checklist should eventually become standard practice. 

Our free induction checklist template is designed to simplify the onboarding process and support your new starters through their first six months. 

Whether you are looking for guidance to use across your own company, or interested in learning more about what you need to include, our comprehensive checklist is an indispensable tool to help you and your new employees.

Download the free checklist now.

Interview question generator - New Reed AI tool
1 mins read
  1. Article

Interview question generator - New Reed AI tool

​Why should recruiters and hiring managers use our tool?

Well-crafted interview questions are essential for determining an interviewee's skills, experience, and fit for the role.

If you are looking for good interview questions for recruiters or managers, our interview question generator is your go-to resource for fast, comprehensive interview question generation, providing you with a wide range of relevant and effective questions to choose from.

Our tool uses advanced AI algorithms to generate a list of interview questions to ask candidates that are tailored to the specific requirements of the role and your company. Using the tool ensures that the questions you ask at an interview are relevant, effective, and comprehensive, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of each interviewee’s strengths and weaknesses. Our interview question generator will save you time and effort, while ensuring that you are asking the right questions to identify the best candidates for your open positions.

Tailoring questions to your industry and role

Our interview question generator will craft a set of interview questions to suit any role, in any sector, across a range of seniority levels, from entry level to c-suite.

Helping recruiters and managers craft better interview questions

By highlighting your top-three most sought-after soft skills, this AI-powered interview question generator will align with your hiring needs, helping you uncover the best talent to help your team thrive.

Helping hiring managers save time

What used to take hours of searching the internet for the best interview questions, will take you no more than five minutes.​