As you settle back into the office post-holidays, ease into the daily grind by setting aside some beneficial planning time that will position you for a successful 2016. Consider this your must-do recruiting checklist for January, as you prepare for the year ahead. Complete these five items by the end of the month to stay on track and have your best year yet.
Take social inventory
If your focus on the company’s career related social sites, such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn or The Muse, diminished during the end of 2015, dedicate time to site audits. Make sure all company contact information, photos, job postings and about us statements are current. Showcase any holiday party photos, philanthropy involvement or career fair photos from 2015. Also ensure all unanswered comments, feedback, inquiries and reviews received responses.
Carry it throughout the year
Research the best posting times so you’re reaching potential candidates when they are searching, and run a series of social ads that highlights your thought leadership or industry position (e.g.: a photo series of career advice from top leadership).
Anticipate 2016 hiring needs
Check in with department heads to get an idea of hiring needs for the year ahead. Set up one-on-one meetings to learn about anticipated changes, such as turnover, new business, team restructuring or an increased headcount. This proactive approach will help you anticipate hiring needs in advance and warm up your talent community. Take time to understand what makes a team member succeed in each particular department so you are prepared when inevitable hiring fire drills occur later in the year.
Carry it throughout the year: Create a collaborative calendar to let department heads easily add deadlines when hiring needs arise, and scheduling quarterly check-ins with key hiring managers.
Recruitment marketing audit
Your recruitment marketing materials should receive the same attention as your client and new business facing materials. Schedule time with your marketing department to ensure your recruitment marketing collateral is up to date, and aligns with your company’s overall brand guidelines.
Carry it throughout the year: Create a candidate communications plan and social media calendar to ensure your messages are consistent and on-brand. Make a short list of the social media sites where you want to expand your employer branding efforts and dedicate a few hours each week to building and managing these sites.
Set smart metrics
Review last year’s hiring metrics and set new goals you want to achieve in 2016. Whether you are looking to shorten your time to hire, increase overall number of hires, or attend hiring events that result in a higher ROI, setting metric-driven goals will keep you on track. Set three main goals that your department should achieve, and outline the tactics that will help you get there. Distribute these goals to your senior leaders for additional accountability.
Carry it throughout the year: Research talent management software options that let you easily measure your recruitment marketing ROI. Leveraging data-driven metric tools will track the number of hires and overall expenses per event, so you can accurately determine where to allocate your time and marketing dollars.
Excite (and detox) your talent community
Re-engage your talent community and get them excited about potential opportunities with your company in 2016. Create a communications plan that will keep you top of mind and send monthly emails that include new position postings, company updates (awards, products, funding, etc.), philanthropic participation, job fairs or industry events you are hosting, as well as calls to join your social media communities. This is also a good time to remove those in your talent community who have outdated contact information, repeatedly apply to jobs they aren’t qualified for, or have already interviewed with your company.
Carry it throughout the year: Create an events calendar to engage with your talent community face-to-face throughout the year, such as hosted quarterly hackathons with tech talent communities, or networking events with sales talent communities.
Are you looking for more ways to achieve talent acquisition success in 2016? Download our white paper, 2016: The Year of Recruitment Transparency
