You have probably read and heard about the importance of recruitment. Many professionals, including those in human resources, mention this in their studies and business articles. However, the business analysis perspective is largely unknown. Here are some key aspects of strategic recruitment according to WizeBA Inc.: With this article, you will know when to start recruiting to keep your business efficient!
Recruiting from the perspective of a business analyst
Recruiting is much more strategic than you think. It’s all about hiring the right resource at the right time. This is how we achieve efficiency and maintain a high level of production. If you don’t, you’re at risk of hitting the nail on the head: overwork for your employees, financial losses, or worse, lost customers and profits. These effects are possible consequences of non-strategic recruitment. But they are even more numerous when the company lacks resources for too long:
- Decrease in production
- More frequent occupational diseases (burnout) and accidents
- Employee de-motivation
- More frequent absences
- Departure of certain employees
- Client dissatisfaction or worse, departure of major clients
- Lower profits
- Poor use of technology (lack of training)
- Loss of Knowledge with Departure of Key Employees
- Lack of communication between departments
All of these consequences are very detrimental to the company. They will be expensive in the short and medium term. This is why human resources should also be considered an indicator of the company’s performance. A common mistake among companies is to analyze only the sales process and finances to determine whether the company is efficient and profitable. When there is a decline in profitability, some people have the reflex to increase production, promote and get more customers. But being efficient and more profitable also means having high-performing and motivated employees. The health of your human resources is another aspect that needs to be measured.
When do you need to start recruiting?
There are many good times to recruit. When you’re putting in place the launch process for a new product or service, when demand is higher, in anticipation of retirement or maternity leave, during an office expansion, etc. Whatever the reason, it’s best to plan ahead and give yourself time to choose the right person for the job. Here are some steps to recruit at the right time:
- Determine a point of hire
In general, it is estimated that a new resource will take up to 3 months to perform in their new position. Therefore, we need to determine when this resource will be needed and adjust the recruitment process accordingly. You can read the excellent book The first 90 days by Michael Watkins.
- Measuring and calculating indicators
To do this, you need to have some capacity measures, such as productivity measures, sales cycle measures or even changes to them. By putting all of these measures together, you will know when to recruit according to a good strategy. For example, if it takes 2 months to integrate an employee into an account manager position and an additional 1 month to allow the employee to develop his network and sell more, you will have to consider those 3 months and the time required to hire! This will prevent you from overloading, exhausting other employees and avoiding mistakes due to lack of training or even the departure of the new resource.
Remember the recruitment process in your calculation
Once you have the start date, you can:
- Day 1: Take the time to determine the right profile to recruit.
- Post the position for at least 2 weeks, unless there is an abundance of labour. If you’re scarce, leave 1 month.
- Triage and conduct telephone interviews.
- Meet with the short-listed candidates.
- Conduct psychometric or medical tests, when necessary.
- Take references.
- Let the 2 weeks of notice lapse.
- Start the onboarding process over 12 months.
- Integrate the new resource into the position.
Being proactive is strategic.
When it comes to recruitment, it’s better to be proactive. On the other hand, being reactive does not give you enough time to take the steps required to recruit properly. Don’t hire the first person because you’re in a tough spot.
In conclusion, to make a good recruitment.
As you can see, it’s critical to hire the right resource, with the right skills, at the right time. If you do, your company will have better performing, better trained, happier and more motivated employees. This will have a positive impact on your company’s overall performance, and this advantage can never be copied by your competitors! Once you know that your human resources are part of your company’s success, as is marketing and sales, you are ahead of the game.