Recruiting in challenging times

An article in Management Today suggests that as there appear to be some signs of life in the job market, the race may be on for businesses to attract the best people as the economy recovers

Neil Wilson, managing director at recruitment consultancy Badenoch & Clark, outlines his top tips.

1. Don’t compromise
Don’t recruit someone if they don’t have the right skill set for your organisation.

2. Look for genuine enthusiasm

Someone who has singled out your organisation as their ideal next career step is more likely to have a higher level of engagement and productivity.

3. Be proactive

Position your organisation as a more interesting prospect than others by keeping yourself visible and accessible.

4. Get your positioning right

Make sure people know what your organisation has to offer – essential if you are to stand out in an already noisy market.

5. Don't exaggerate

Don’t oversell your organisation and what it offers to new recruits.

6. Look beyond the tried and tested

Don’t just recruit from the usual recruitment channels.

7. Think about cultural fit

Get the cultural fit right and make the most of the skills and experiences available from other industries.

8. Build external relationships

Building your external talent pipeline is key to future success

9. Make your agencies work harder

Take advantage of your chosen recruitment agencies and get full use of their services.

10. Look to the future

Consider your company’s vision, where you want to be and whether you already have the skills and talent to get you there. The challenge lies in keeping your best people in the organisation and maintaining a culture that they want to be a part of.

MT Expert's Ten Top Tips: Recruiting in Challenging Times

• Give examples of how an organisation that is recruiting might implement each of the suggestions.
• What is meant by the following terms that are used in the article: a higher level of engagement, recruitment channels, cultural fit, external talent pipeline?
• Research activity: explore recruitment adverts in a range of media (newspapers, trade journals, internet, radio, TV etc,) and discuss the effectiveness and relative merits of each