A lot of people think that, thanks to the recent recession, managers and employers can easily find high-quality job candidates when seeking to fill positions. If you’re a manager however, you know it’s not that simple. Workforce planning is a complex task involving many factors, including labor laws, contract design and management, and finding a match in terms of fit as well as skill. Below are a few tips for making the procurement process more streamlined:
1. Have a very clear, quantifiable idea of what you are looking for and communicate this effectively.
This may seem obvious, but all too often we read job descriptions that are far too vague and don’t allow possible candidates to do any self-weeding. Starting out the procurement process in a specific way, for example not just saying “must be literate with computers” but saying “must have advanced knowledge of functions in Microsoft Excel,” allows candidates to get a better idea of whether or not they qualify for the job. It also reduces the chances that you will come into direct contact with bad job fits.
2.Have a detailed job description as well as what benefits and compensation you are providing on file.
One of the most sacrosanct principles in workforce management is that in order to attract good help, you have to offer competitive salaries and benefits. While it is true that this can get expensive, sometimes ballooning to three times the listed salary when all is accounted for, research has shown time and time again that it is worth it. In fact, the Society for Human Resource Management lists good compensation as the number one criteria influencing overall job satisfaction. We highly recommend making this initial investment if you want to avoid a lot of turnover or long recruitment searches. You don’t want to creep past the average search time (nearly a month and growing every year), and risk becoming less efficient while your other employees scramble to fill personnel gaps.
3. Understand the laws and other paperwork governing the position you are hiring for.
For example, if you’re in the market for a good accountant, it’s probably best to go over the Generally Accepted Accounting Practices and incorporate a few questions about it into the interview process. Or if you are a niche industry governed by a lot of safety or Homeland Security laws, it’s important to know what sort of documentation is required by law before you can bring someone on board. Of course, all of this can get complicated, so we’ve saved the best procurement process tip for last…
4. Hire a workforce management professional.
We realize it’s the height of irony to ultimately advise you to hire someone who specializes in hiring people. But trust us — bringing a recruiter into the process really takes the guesswork out of things and ensures the hiring process remains productive and innovative. What’s more, by putting someone on this full time, you’re freed up to resume your normal duties and will no longer have the extra headache.