The Critical Path in Recruiting and Hiring Employees: Effective Hiring Strategies by Charles Parnell

Organizations are competing for the BEST talent to hire. This is critical as the marketplace becomes increasingly more competitive for the delivery of goods and services – – domestically and globally. At the beginning of each year (calendar or fiscal), organizations set strategic goals and monitor them throughout this period. The attainment of these goals is critical for their success. There are numerous organizational aspects that factor in the attainment of these goals. A crucial factor is the team member with the requisite skills and values.

A successful employment staffing program involves hiring the right people with minimal cost. For the best results, get everyone in your organization involved in hiring. Make it a high priority. Some of the most popular methods of hiring to recruit employees are listed below:

• Internal Job Postings – often yield the best candidates to fill open positions. Filling positions with internal candidates encourages career growth.
• Employee Referrals – are usually the best source of external candidates
• Newspaper Advertisements – the classified section
• Executive Search Firms – typically used for top management positions and other positions that are difficult to fill
• Employment Agencies – provide an abundant source of applicants for predominantly lower-skilled positions
• Job Fairs – have some demonstrated value
• The Internet – Including Social Media Platforms has quickly become a very popular and effective source for prospective employees and employers to fill open positions. Some of the Social Recruiting Software Platforms are: Jobvite, People Fluent, Glassdoor, Oracle, Greenhouse, Indeed and Bullhorn Reach. Some Electronic Job Boards are: Zip Recruiter, Career Builder and Monster. Employers and prospective employers are using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to fill open positions. There is tangible evidence that online recruiting is effective in terms of the cost of hiring and selecting the “Right” candidates.

Organizations in all sectors (public, private and healthcare) set strategic goals with subset performance objectives to attain them. They strive to remain competitive and exceed the competition. This requires team members that have the requisite skills that align with their job requirements and values that align with the culture of the organization. The cost of hiring is significant, particularly if you make a “BAD” hire. Effective hiring strategies must be carefully developed and executed. They can be a driving force in not only hiring the top talent, but retaining it. They should be a top priority for organizational success.