The New Year is a great time to make plans for the year ahead — from personal goals to professional ones. One of our favorite things to do as we head into January is to come up with a talent acquisition wishlist that can help inform a recruiting strategy for the year. This can be a great way to kickstart recruiting efforts while also helping to identify pain points and come up with a way to address them. And since studies show that only 14% of employees understand their company’s overall strategy, developing a recruiting plan can help set expectations for the organization while also staying ahead of hiring issues that may arise.
If you’re looking to come up with a talent acquisition wishlist for your company, following a few key steps can help ensure that you cover all your bases while taking your recruiting needs into account. Here’s how to do it.
Determine your hiring needs for the coming year
Before you can create your wishlist, it’s important to get a clear sense of your hiring needs and the types of roles you’ll have to fill throughout the year. The best way to do this is to take a look at your hiring records for the past few years. This can help you determine how many open roles you’re likely to have during the year, as well as giving you a sense of the costs associated with filling them. Next, be sure to talk to your management team about potential new hires, including freelancers and contractors. This will help you fill in gaps you may not have anticipated as well as eliminating surprises that may come up during the year. \
Create a list of the tools and resources you’ll need
Once you have a clear picture of your hiring needs, it’s time to build your wishlist. Start by outlining some of the key resources you’re likely to need — including things like recruiting staff and outside agencies. Then, add any tools that would help your recruiting process, such as a candidate engagement platform or an applicant tracking system. The list should also include training and education for your existing staff, as well as any tools and resources they’ve asked for.
Distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves
Next, it’s time to go through your wishlist to determine which items are must-haves versus things you’d like to have (but which aren’t completely necessary). A great way to do this is to organize your list in order of priority, ensuring that you’re covering all of your bases. For example, if you know that you’re going to need additional recruiting help as well as a software solution, consider opting for a part-time recruiter so that you have room in your budget for both. Once you’ve divided your list into the things you need and you’d like to have, go through it again and assign costs to each item. This will help you determine if you have any leftover budget for your “nice-to-have” items and give you a sense of where you may be able to cut costs.
Whether you’re looking to build a new HR tech stack or hire additional staff, having a talent acquisition wishlist in place can help you anticipate your recruiting needs and address them in a timely way. What’s more, it can help you cut costs and increase candidate satisfaction. By creating a wishlist that takes all of your needs into account, you can help to streamline your recruiting while giving your talent acquisition team the resources they need.
Want to improve your recruiting strategy even further? Learn how to make age diversity a priority for your company and why salary transparency could help you attract top talent.
