TrueLife: I am an H.R. professional concerned about hiring in 2021.
You are not alone.
It’s a new year and many organizations are ready to look ahead to rebuild what was lost, or build on what 2020 created. Now more than ever, human resources professionals are concerned with what recruitment will look like. Although unemployment has been extremely high, it’s nerve-wracking to hire while trying to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
While preparing for my interview with Ivy Podcast, I read an article by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) that analyzed XpertHR’s results from their September survey of 500+ employers. The results of the survey found that "…roughly one-half of responding employers expect to increase their workforce [in 2021]," according to Andrew Hellwege, surveys editor for XpertHR. "After COVID-19 rocked the economy in 2020, employers won't want to miss out on the potential recovery in 2021 … and recruiting and hiring efforts will be key for attracting talent and ramping up operations."
In my profession, I have the privilege to work with many H.R. teams and hiring managers for different organizations; some get it right and some don’t. The fear of hiring the wrong person when a team cannot afford to make a mistake is a common concern I hear often. In this blog post, I want to share some of the things I consult my clients to consider in hopes of giving you a different perspective as you put your workforce plan together.
Do you really know what your organization needs? Employers are making a mistake by starting conversations with talent before understanding what their open role(s) actually calls for. Take the extra time to do a proper intake meeting, and do not assume a thing. Probe and ask questions that will allow you to understand your hiring managers need because the last thing you want to do is start and stop a search several times. Candidates are tired of being ghosted by organizations, and you don’t want to create an employer brand of being all over the place, or taking forever to make a decision. Although unemployment is high, the candidate experience matters more than ever.
Don’t cut corners - you’ll regret it later: Many organizations do not have the budget to fill all of the positions they now find vacant. Trying to cut corners by hiring B or C talent to manage a big project, or a trivial part of your business is a mistake. Just like hiring a former CFO to do the job of a staff accountant at the salary of an accounting coordinator will only create attrition later. If you don’t have the budget to offer a candidate, at the very least, a fair salary consider:
Internal talent. Is there anyone currently on the team that you can promote? Can you restructure your department and divvy up the functions in a way that can play to your current teams strengths?
Hiring temporary talent. Hire that interim CFO at an hourly rate that will allow you to attract the right person to immediately come in and get things under control for you. You may not have them for long, but at least you know the work being done will drive the results you need.
Consider hiring for aptitude: According to Webster, Aptitude is defined as: “1a : inclination, tendency an aptitude for hard work. b : a natural ability : talent an aptitude for gymnastics. 2 : capacity for learning an aptitude for languages. 3 : general suitability : aptness.”
Hiring for a manager that you know is highly knowledgeable and skilled in their role, as well as someone who has a passion for mentorship, would be the right instance to considering hiring a candidate with aptitude if you don’t have the budget to hire your dream candidate. There are so many entry level candidates who recently graduated during 2020, as well as seasoned candidates that are eager to work; they are just being overlooked. You can tailor your interview process and questions to better identify candidates that have the aptitude for your vacancy. Perhaps their experience or education is not ideally what you had hoped for, but you can use this to your advantage by recruiting from a talent pool your competition may not be.
Hopefully this helps navigate your conversations, and serves as a good starting point as you determine your recruiting needs in Q1. What are some of the things your team considers prior to starting the recruitment process?
