How Do Your Recruiting Efforts Stack Up Against the Competition?

Any good manager knows that the quality of new hires can make or break your business. But if you’ve been using the same recruiting policies and strategies for years, it can be difficult to get a clear picture about how you’re doing. In order to stay ahead of your competition, you need to make sure that you’re adding the right people to your team.

A new article from author Morgan Hoogvelt explains that in a webinar filled with over 400 HR and recruiting professionals, roughly 70 percent had no idea how their own recruitment efforts stacked up when compared to their competitors’ policies. This is an alarming stat, particularly when you stop to think about the recruiting process directly impacts the future of an organization.

Think about it this way: college basketball coaches spend a large chunk of their time recruiting. But as they’re traveling around talking to the brightest and the best high school players, they also have to keep a watchful eye on what opposing teams are up to. Failure to do so could leave that coach blindsided as a shining star prospect is swept away to another team.

Fortunately, unlike athletics, it’s pretty easy to get a feel for what other businesses are up to as long as you take the time to do so. There are a number of software programs that can help to demystify the recruiting process. These tools spit out reports and analysis of employment trends, and also gather intelligence from other companies while forecasting economic conditions. All together, this makes it much easier for a recruiter to do their job successfully.

This intelligence you gather should be used in tandem with strong recruiting strategies in order to yield the best results. When you’re attracting new talent effectively while remaining aware of what your competitors are up to, it’s a formula for success. Some of the key recruiting policies that must be in effect at all times include:

• Handpicking candidates and making them feel wanted
• Understanding what appeals to these people
• Checking out new places for your new great hire
• Attending events outside of job fairs

A person who diversifies their recruitment strategy while staying abreast of industry developments will turn bright prospects into integral parts of that organization. However, as you do this, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s a fine line between focusing your efforts on recruiting and becoming oblivious about what your competitors are up to. To stay on top, you should commit a significant amount of effort on landing top-notch talent, but you also can’t lose sight of what your competitors are up to.

What do you do to make sure your recruitment strategies are on point? Let us know in the comments!