6 Steps to Plan for your Autumn Recruitment

The end of summer and the beginning of autumn can often be a very busy time for organisations, HR professionals, and hiring managers. This year is unlikely to be any different according to projections in the Labour Market Outlook: Spring 2022. Key stats from the report show:

• Net employment balance is exceeding pre-pandemic levels which indicates a high level of employment intentions.
• 74% of employers surveyed are planning to take on new staff in the next three months.
• 45% of employers have ‘hard-to-fill’ vacancies which is similar to the last quarter (46%). When looking only at employers with vacancies, this figure rises to three-quarters (76%).

In the current climate, organisations and HR professionals need to find new strategies and responses to attract and recruit new talent. But they also need to ensure they can retain staff to reduce recruitment costs in the long term.

So how can organisations effectively plan for their current and future recruitment needs?

One thing that organisations can do is to try to widen their talent pool. Not only will it help the organisation find the most suitable candidates, but it will also help build and nurture a diverse talent pipeline that can fill a variety of roles within the organisation in the future.

Because it can take time to attract new applicants, it is important that organisations start that process early but also allow enough time to raise their profile amongst this new and untapped talent pool.

Summertime often sees recruitment activities slowing down with more people being on annual leave. As a result, it can be a strategic time for employers to assess whether they have an inclusive recruitment strategy in place and identify potential gaps in their recruitment approaches.

We have gathered 6 easy steps organisations can take right NOW to get ready for the September and October hiring peak.

Step #1

Assess your recruitment needs and the skill shortages – which roles are, or will be the most critical for your organisation? Do you know where to find talents who have these skills?

Step #2

Look at your recruitment strategy from an ED&I perspective – do you see any gaps or issues in your process that could prevent you from attracting a diverse pool of candidates? For example, not stating your flexible working policies, not using gender-neutral language in your recruitment material or not having a diversity statement to encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

Step #3

Identify the relevant channels for promotion, based on the skills and talents you need – how are you reaching out to your target audience? Do you know where your audience is? Have you considered using alternative channels such as diversity job boards or networks?

Step #4

Identify recruitment costs and allocate your budget strategically – you may need to have a different strategy and approach based on the roles or skills you are looking for.

Step #5

Review and optimise your recruitment materials ahead of the promotion phase – employers often have a job description template or guidelines they are working from. Do you know how to assess the inclusivity of your recruitment materials and job adverts? Are you using best practices when it comes to building inclusive job adverts?

Step #6

Review your application and selection process – have you considered the impact of unconscious biases at each stage of the recruitment process and how they can limit your chance to attract, recruit, and retain top talents?

How can Equate Scotland help?

Equate Scotland can help employers take the plunge by:

1. Reviewing their job adverts for gendered language or unconscious bias and providing recommendations on how to improve the inclusivity of the job description.
2. Promoting their roles on the Equate CareerHub, an online platform and job board that connects employers committed to ED&I with women studying, working, or looking to work in STEM.
3. Raising their profiles by showcasing their commitment to diversity and inclusion in a dedicated article published on Equate blog ‘The Future of STEM’.

All three features above are included in Equate CareerHub service and CareerHub recruitment packages.

To learn more, please contact us at careerhub@napier.ac.uk.