In the face of the great resignation over the past year many employers found themselves clamoring for recruiters, approaching a long-term problem (retention) with a short-term solution (hiring). Fast forward a few months and we’re seeing waves of layoffs affecting recruiters who were in many cases, hastily hired.
How do these layoffs look to current and prospective employees? Not good.
How does this reflect on a Company brand? Not well.
How likely will these companies struggle if/when hiring ticks up again? Very likely.
For companies who are now realizing they should have considered more long-term planning when hiring talent acquisition professionals this past year, here are a few recommendations:
- Invest. Invest in developing your recruiters into areas of HR that align well with a recruiter’s natural skill set. Think employee relations, orientation and onboarding, culture committees, DEI, engagement and retention. Your recruiters are approachable, outgoing, and are a candidate’s first connection to a company. Leverage that relationship and expand your recruiters’ roles. With the complexity of today and tomorrow’s workforce, the need for HR ninjas will only get greater.
- Improve processes. More likely than not, your recruitment process warrants improvement. Those job descriptions are out of date aren’t they? Are your job postings reflecting all best practices? Have you considered incorporating social media into your recruiting process? Now is a prime opportunity to engage your recruiters in coming up with new (and very different) ways to engage Gen Z candidates and beyond.
- A formalized employee share program. There are many considerations here but still something that could be beneficial, and a better alternative to layoffs. Is there an opportunity to partner with another company to offer a full time equivalency in hours? There are considerations for benefits, conflict of interest/proprietary information, etc. but when thought through carefully, this type of company partnership may be a solution.
- Offboarding support. If all else fails, at least help your impacted employees to be successful in their job search. Think resume review and reformatting, interview coaching, job search assistance, etc. Even recruiters can benefit from these services!
Struggling with the recruitment or retention of an Human Resources professional? Reach out to HR Works today!
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Adrienne Schleigh | Senior Director, Talent Acquisition Services
schleigh@hrworks-inc.com
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