The start of the year is a great time to make changes and one of the most common things to do is to commit to a New Year’s resolution. Now I know that many resolutions are hard to stick to and don’t actually come to fruition, but maybe the key is to have a few and see which ones stick.
So in the tradition of resolutions for the New Year, we’ve come up with a top 10 list of things you should be doing in 2013 to improve your talent acquisition strategies. Some are easy, like just talking to people, while others will require a little more fortitude and effort. However, any one of these can help you improve the talent coming into your organization.
10. Have a plan when it comes to flexible resources such as contract labor, independent contractors and statement of work contractors. What processes will you use for compliance? How will you track them?
9. Assess your company’s risk when using flexible resources, especially independent contractors.
8. Find all of your temporary labor throughout the company. Where are they and what do they do?
7. Expand your definition of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) to include projects or specific parts of the sourcing and recruiting process. Try a pilot program where you have the greatest need.
6. Do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of your internal recruiting practices. Where do you need help? What positions are critical to your company’s success?
5. Ask more questions about the use of contract labor, SOW and independent contractors. Where? Why? How much? How long? Are processes standardized, centralized or consistent?
4. Schedule regular time with executives to discuss temporary labor usage in your company. Help them understand when, where and how you use contract labor (and any other non-employee groups).
3. Talk to hiring managers about their needs and experience with contract labor. Are they getting the people they need? What types will they require this year? How is the quality? What is the process like from their point of view?
2. Take a vacation. Get away for a while no matter how busy it is. Put good people and resources in place so you can take a vacation without worrying.
1. Stop trying to do everything yourself. Stick to core stuff and outsource where it makes sense.
Talent, or more to the point, great talent, is going to be a differentiator that will allow companies to thrive even in a modest economy. Take steps now to create solid talent acquisition strategies and that growth might be better than you think. Good luck in 2013.
Matt Rivera serves as Vice President, Marketing and Communications and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Yoh’s marketing and brand communications. Matt holds a degree in Journalism/Public Relations and has been working in the staffing industry for more than 25 years. Prior to this role, Matt held many different roles from branch recruiting and proposal writing to technology management and online marketing.
