10 Tips to Stop Budget Cuts Impacting Your Recruitment
10 tips to stop budget cuts impacting your recruitmentYou would need to have been on Mars for the last year not to have realised that we are all going through a slightly tricky time economically, to say the least. The credit crunch has taken a big chunk out of employersò€™ budgets.
When the pressureò€™s on it seems that recruitment is the first things to go. Is that really the smartest move? Well, with a little bit of thought and concern for the long term, I donò€™t think so. So how can we, as employers, take some of the pain out of the credit crunchò€™s bite when it comes to recruitment?
If you still need to take on new employees then itò€™s time to assume a different recruitment approach. I hope the following ten tips can help you do that.
1. Your own website ò€“ presuming you have a website, posting a vacancy on it is clearly free so t. Take a look at your website from the viewpoint of a job hunter. Is it engaging and simple to use? It is unrealistic to place job ad on it and expect to be inundated with applicants. Job seekers must, firstly, be able to find the advert and, secondly, be able to apply relatively straightforwardly. Try to be objective and if it needs some modifications then go to your Web designer or IT department to get those changes implemented.
2. Google Adwords ò€“ Once your website is as you want it and you want to insert the advert, first check Googleò€™s Adwords page. If you have never used the site before, it is a facility which, once you place the applicable word, such as ò€˜jobsò€™, ò€˜marketingò€™ or ò€˜part-timeò€™, it will offer you a list of pertinent alternatives which are frequently typed in by people searching Google. This can be an valuable tool as it amplifies the odds of your advert appearing further up the Google list and, therefore, getting viewed.
3. Job boards - Job boards can be a considerably cheaper alternative to recruitment agencies and have a larger potential audience than your own website. So which job board/s do you employ? Consider the sort of position you are advertising. Who do you anticipate applying for your vacancy? Is it most likely to be people from your local area or is it a national position? If itò€™s a less senior position more likely to be filled by a local candidate then try using a website dedicated to your local area (if you have one) rather than a extensive website such as Monster (which is usually appreciably more expensive). Also ensure you select one that cleanly presented and has ease of use. If you consider it appealing then so will job seekers.
4. Employee referrals - Ensure all of your employees know youò€™re recruiting, if possible. You may discover that your staff know friends or family who might want to consider applying and will help ò€˜spread the wordò€™ for you, thereby becoming a form of free advertising. You could also consider referral incentives to maximise this opportunity.
5. External referrals - Ask around amongst your peers and business contacts to see if they could recommend people to you. Unfortunately there are currently lots of redundancies but these people could be ideal for your business.
6. Sourcing ò€“ Instead of paying a recruitment agency to source the applications you receive, do it yourself. It can be a bit time consuming but make sure you have in your head exactly what you are looking for and you should be able to go through the CVs reasonably quickly. Arrange telephone interviews prior to face to face interviews to assist you with this.
7. Networking ò€“ Explore what networking opportunities your Chamber of Commerce, local council or other organisations offer. These can be valuable sources of referrals as well as business.
8. The Job Centre ò€“ Your local Job Centre provide free job advertising. It can be a bit of a time consuming process to fill in all the required information but persevere and the outcome could prove helpful.
9. Outsourcing ò€“ Recruitment agencies may be costly but they do often do a good job. If you wish to outsource your recruitment to an agency then ensure you choose the agency carefully, looking at considerations such as service and cost. Also ensure you take advantage of the other tips here as you should usually only have to pay an agencyò€™s fee if they introduce you to the applicant you ultimately hire. Give yourself the greatest chance of creating your own talent pool.
10. Staff retention ò€“ It may be stating the obvious but what better way to reduce recruitment costs than by not having to recruit in the first place? Employees leave for a number of different reasons such as personal reasons, relocating and ill health; you cannot do a lot about that. What about when they leave for a higher salary, a perception of better job satisfaction or greater opportunities? These are things you can do something about. As I said, training can be the first thing to go but perhaps it should be considered from a staff retention point of view. You could also consider other types of bonuses if monetary ones are not an option. Perhaps additional holiday days could be a welcome reward for your staffò€™s hard work.
I hope you find these tips helpful and keep recruiting effectively.