The key to competitive hiring in changing times is to always be respectful of your internal as well as your external talent pool, according to Kim Shepherd, CEO of Decision Toolbox, a nationwide provider of project based hiring and on-demand Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO).
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Spells Respect
“Just as important as building an internal culture of respect among your employees, is fostering a culture of respect within your hiring process, ” says Shepherd.
“No matter what size your company is, technology has enabled you to reach hundreds, thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of job seekers with every opening you advertise. Since you can only hire a tiny percentage of the candidates you touch, this process generates exponential rejection. It doesn’t have to: you can’t hire everyone, but you can leave every candidate with a positive experience,” continues Shepherd.
Building Your Bench
According to Shepherd, it’s inevitable that management may stumble across a great asset for their team at a time when there are no openings. “At Decision Toolbox, we recommend that when you encounter a candidate you’re unable to hire immediately is to show your interest by making a formal offer with a blank start date. Once they are a part of your “virtual bench,” open the door to regular communications so that when the day arrives and you have an opening on your team, you can reconnect quickly and the building blocks of a relationship are in place,” explains Shepherd.
Keeping House
A competitive job market also creates great temptation. Not only are hundreds of thousands of new jobs advertised each month, nearly half of employers (49 percent) expect to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees. “Talk about the grass being greener,” says Shepherd. At Decision Toolbox, we ask our employees to envision the scenario that would tempt them away from us, and then use their answers to address any unmet needs. Most of the time the list isn’t expensive and in many cases it’s free.”
About Decision Toolbox (DT)
Founded in 1992, Decision Toolbox provides scalable and easily integrated recruitment solutions for a 7% cost per hire on average while incorporating rigorous quality controls and a twelve-month candidate guarantee. Armed with the very latest tools and a team of seasoned US-based Recruiters and Sourcers, Decision Toolbox is an on-demand recruiting department for one critical search, for large projects, or a complete RPO/RPI solution. Decision Toolbox has taken a leadership role in almost every aspect of recruitment, introducing an RPO offering in 2000, four years before it became industry practice.
DT is recognized as a “Thought Leader” by organizations such as SHRM, PIHRA, and the NHRA, and was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility in 2009, 2011 and 2012. DT is a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified company, the Gold Standard. WBENC Certification validates that the business is 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women.