There are a lot of buzzwords in the staffing and recruiting world. Generally, these words carry a certain weight in the industry for some period of time. Then, they lose their luster. This isn’t to say that buzzwords can’t have staying power—they certainly can. However, the reality is that something a little shinier comes along, i.e., another strategy or tactic, and captures the industry’s attention. Active recruiting is not one of these words, nor should it be treated like one.
What’s Active Recruiting?
Active recruiting or active recruitment is the practice of constantly being on the lookout for right-fit candidates, regardless of their current status on the job market.
Said another way, active recruiting means that your HR and Procurement team is always hunting for candidates who could be a great addition. Most companies—at least historically—have failed to implement this type of recruiting strategy. Instead, they relied on a passive recruiting strategy and only looked for candidates when they needed to fill a role or a candidate reached out to them. Passive recruiting is still an important part of any successful staffing and recruiting strategy—and something we help a lot of our clients with—but today, you need more. You need to be active with your recruiting efforts.
Why’s Active Recruiting a Must?
The job market will never be the same. As a result, the staffing and recruiting industry won’t be either, which means you need to take a good, hard look at how your systems to make sure they’re optimized for the here and now.
Adopting an active recruiting strategy (or increasing your investment in one) is a move most organizations will benefit from given the hyper-competitive job market today.
Active Recruitment Attracts Top Candidates (Before the Competition)
Now that we’re in a remote-first world, the market for top candidates will continue to be more competitive than ever. Since organizations can hire anyone, anywhere, you’re not just competing with those in your immediate area for these candidates; you’re competing with everyone in your competitive set.
Active recruiting goes after top talent before they even go on the job market, which means you can engage them before your competition even knows their name. That said, if they do hit the job market, actively engaging with them leading up to that point can make them more likely to choose you over them as well. In a job market ripe with competition, simply engaging candidates with casual conversation, even if they aren’t currently looking for a new role, could be enough to sway their decision in your favor.
Actively Recruiting Saves You Money (and Makes You Money)
For many organizations, the staffing and recruiting process goes like this: Employee A gets laid off or resigns, which means there’s a void that needs filling. So, they start reaching out to candidates that feel like they would be a good fit. Knowing that open positions can cost them serious money in lost revenue, they hire someone impulsively.
Sometimes this approach works out, but more often than not, it doesn’t. By implementing an active recruiting strategy, you can still fill these voids quickly, but you’re doing so with candidates who you already know will come in and make a difference from the get-go, i.e., make you money. Essentially, active recruiting allows you to fill your recruitment funnel with right-fit candidates, so when you do need to fill a role, you can do so quickly and with confidence.
Active Recruiting Means a Happier Workplace (and a More Profitable One)
One bad apple (read: a bad employee) can seriously impact the morale of your workforce. When this happens, employees can shut down and become less effective. Some may even leave, leading to costly attribution. When you’re only relying on passive recruiting, you increase the likelihood that you’ll bring on one of these “bad apples.”
Active recruiting puts you in a prime position to bring on right-fit candidates who mesh with your culture and existing employees. Not only will this help create net-new revenue because open positions won’t be empty long, but it’ll make everyone happier. When employees are happy, they stay with you. When happy employees stay, they have a real-world impact on the business.
Moving Forward with an Active Recruiting Strategy
Here’s the best part of active recruiting: You likely already have what you need to get started. If your HR and Procurement teams are passively recruiting, they’re already halfway there—they just need to shift their mindset and objectives.
That said, if an active recruiting strategy puts too much strain on internal resources, many staffing and recruiting companies are well equipped to do this for you with minimal disruption to your business.
To learn more about how we can help you with active recruiting, contact us today.