As the year comes to a close, it is a great time to evaluate the hiring process. Is your organization proactive or reactive in hiring? If your company has the resources, it would be worth the time and effort to create a plan to be proactive in hiring instead of reactive.
Proactive versus reactive
Reactive hiring is waiting to hire until the need arises. This is when a position becomes vacant, then the hiring process starts. Proactive hiring is an ongoing effort and planning ahead of the vacancies. The biggest difference is the approach to hiring. Reactive can look like waiting for there to be an opening and then posting the job and then waiting for candidates to apply. Being proactive will be constantly looking for talent that is a good fit for the organization. This approach allows for more marketing and relationship building.
Why to be proactive
Being proactive can increase the quality of the talent joining your team. When hiring reactively, the need to fill a vacant role can cause the process to be rushed. By being proactive, there is no rush so there is time to source and find quality candidates that fit the company culture and have the skillset your team needs. Being proactive also allows time for relationship building. This can help with retention in the long run because candidates will have had time to get to know and understand the company on a deeper level before they decide to join.
How to be proactive
To start being proactive, evaluate your current hiring process. Also, do an evaluation of the talent within your organization. Are there any vacancies that can be predicted? For example, retirements that are coming up. What is your organization missing? What skill gaps need to be filled? Think about succession planning. If your team is planning on creating a new role, get ahead of it. Even if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for in a position, looking into candidates and starting some interviews may help narrow down what qualifications would be most beneficial in the role. Keep your eyes open and always be looking for talent that could be a great addition to the company. Start a partnership with a recruiting firm that specializes in your industry, such as a chemical recruiter. That way they can get to know your company, the hiring needs, and where any skill gaps may be so that as they dig into their network, they can keep your organization in mind and send talent your way.
Being reactive or proactive in hiring ends in the same results; new talent is added to the company. However, the time and effort spent on creating a hiring plan, analyzing the process and the organization’s current talent and consistently looking for talent can have the potential to amp up your hiring process and improve the quality of the talent being added to the organization.
Are you looking for top talent in the Specialty Chemical, Advanced Materials, or Animal Health industry?
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