The stress of ‘the great resignation’ churn and burn is enabling employers to think differently about their recruitment strategy, and for many the adjustments come in the form of relaxed employment requirements. That said, hiring too quickly can backfire.
We caution our clients that relaxing requirements too much can become a cutting corners approach to your human capital – your business’s greatest asset. While the urgency around hiring talent is real, it’s important to note that businesses will likely need to invest more heavily in other areas of the employee lifecycle on things like onboarding, upskilling and professional development.
Before you green-light a hiring strategy that’s light on the necessary checks and balances, ask yourself these questions:
1. Is this role a central one within the organization?
2. Is it critical to the success of the business as a whole?
3. Will this role require an individual to manage a team or delegate to others? If so, consider the existing team dynamics at play.
4. What are the core challenges associated with the role?
5. What experience have previous employees carried, and how have they performed within the role?
6. In terms of skills and qualifications, what are the must-haves vs, the nice-to-haves?
7. Is there a clear path for advancement within the organization?
8. What does the typical onboarding period look like for this position? How will a new recruitment strategy impact this onboarding process?
9. Are you prepared to invest in upskilling, reskilling or professional development if necessary?
10. Do relaxed employment requirements equal an altered compensation bracket for this role?
If you’ve answered a collective “yes” to the first three questions (or even the first two for that matter), a shortened recruitment process structure may not do the role justice in terms of the leg work required to recruit the right candidate to perform a job carrying so much weight.
If you’re recruiting for entry and mid-level roles, and are prepared to invest in things like upskilling, reskilling and professional development opportunities, a shortened hiring process may suit the immediate needs of the business.
If you’re still unsure, it’s worth a deeper discussion around some of the open-ended questions and the key considerations coming out of those answers. Pull in core members of your organization for weigh-in, and determine where you can adjust your recruitment strategy to suit an accelerated but still well-rounded approach to hiring.
