How To Create a Recruitment Plan in 14 Steps

Putting together an effective recruitment plan is what sets professionals apart from amateurs in the world of HR. It can indeed be a make or break for an organization or team. But despite a robust recruitment plan being a high priority for an HR team, it’s not a simple task.

It’s true that every job – and employee – requires a personal touch, but that doesn’t mean that the process used to fill the position can’t run like clockwork. We’ve compiled this guide to ensure you’re well on your way to being the best recruiter you can be – starting with a recruiting plan.

What Is a Recruiting Plan?

Hiring a new staff member is not as simple as you may think – even if it’s for an already existing position. It’s in a job’s nature to evolve, and that means that the description of what is needed and, sometimes, more crucially – who – is required can change.

This is where a recruitment plan comes in. This plan effectively outlines recruitment strategies and lays out precisely what needs to be done ahead of finding that perfect person. It especially helps recruiters and management focus on needs and requirements – in a smaller scope and the bigger picture.

What Is the Purpose of a Recruitment Plan? 

Having a recruitment plan will help recruiters and management to identify the needs of the role they are hiring for and consequently attract a person that is right for that role.

It will assist in creating a successful working team in the business. That means it will encompass the qualifications and experience required but also the kind of person needed to fit in with the rest of the team.

How To Create an Effective Recruiting Plan

1. Forecast Hiring Needs

The best place to start is to be ahead of the game. By that, we mean think ahead. At the beginning of each year, consider how your organization might grow and expand. Which departments will need an extra pair of hands? Or are you thinking of creating a whole new department? Scale appropriately.

2. Identify Recruitment Goals

This is the natural next step after looking at your forecasting. Dig a little deeper and consider precisely what – and who – you want. This step could mean considering the skills, qualities, or personalities of the people you’d like to join your team, but it should also include thinking about potential promotions within the company.

3. Define Job Descriptions

Once you have an idea of which roles you’d like to advertise for, you’ll need to set the job descriptions. This may seem simple if the job already exists and you’re replacing someone, but that’s not always the case. As we mentioned above, jobs evolve over time.

Consider how it might have changed from when the last person took over. For new jobs, consider doing your research to ensure you get the right team fit.

4. Set a Recruiting Budget

With the job descriptions in place, it’s time to think about the budget. That’s why it’s essential to start the recruitment strategy at the beginning of the financial year.

Consider your budget and then split it between the jobs you want to advertise for. And importantly, for more senior roles, ensure the salary is competitive enough to attract the best candidates.

5. Determine Sourcing Strategy

In our Internet age, there are so many ways to find new talent to hire. What is the best way for you? You can use social media such as LinkedIn, recruitment agencies, go to job fairs, and encourage employee recommendations.

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it might take some time to determine which method is best for you. Be patient with the process!

6. Complete a Skills Gap Analysis

Finding the skills gap in your organization will benefit you in more ways than one, but for now, let’s focus on recruitment. Take a look at every employee you have and list their skills, group these skills by department, and find which skills are missing from the list – particularly those that would improve the team.

7. Utilize the Right Tools

If you work for a large organization, you might end up juggling several applications at once. In order to not get lost in it all, consider investing in some helpful and intuitive software. Applicant tracking systems can assist with the entire recruitment process, from initial job postings to communicating with applicants.

8. Collaborate With Others

Remember, when you’re hiring a new team member, it’s likely that this role will collaborate across teams. That means it will be helpful to get input from various departments linked to the position. Don’t just rely on the outgoing person to instruct you, either. Take a holistic approach and involve as many stakeholders as needed.

9. Understand the Type of Person You Want to Hire

This step is where you will put all your combined knowledge, plans, and research together. Combine the data from the skills assessment, the advice from different teams, and your knowledge of the company to really hone in on who you want to work with.

Do you need someone assertive who will get the job done one way or another? Or maybe you’re looking for someone with more background strategy skills?

10. Get a Recruitment Calendar

This step is a natural progression from forecasting and setting goals for your recruitment year. Take the information you gain from those tasks and make a recruitment calendar. This will make it a lot easier to manage every role and its moving parts.

It will also force you to truly consider when you need a person in the role rather than at some ambiguous future point. Be as specific as possible here for the best results!

11. Refine Your Selection Process

When the applications start coming in, you need a strategy that will ensure your recruitment process is fair, as well as hiring the right person for the role. That’s where the selection process comes in. How many rounds will you have? When will the interviews take place? Will you use any assessments?

12. Review, Interview, and Check References

By this point, you should have closed the applications, and it’s time to take a deeper look at your applicants and potential hires. Work collaboratively with others to decide on the interview questions. If you’re going to arrange a skills assessment, determine who will be judging it.

Finally, prepare the questions you’ll ask of the references.

13. Perfect the Onboarding Process

It’s easy to think that once a person has been selected for the role your job in HR is done – but that is far from the truth. The onboarding process is just as important as everything leading up to it. Remember, you want your new recruit to succeed!

Map out how their first week will go to ensure they feel welcome and appreciated.

14. Update Your Plan

Finally, don’t get complacent! Just because your recruitment plan and onboarding process has been successful, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be improved. Consider speaking to your new recruits to see their opinion on the process, as they will likely have valuable insight. Always be working to improve!

Frequently Asked Questions

When Should You Use a Recruitment Plan?

A recruitment plan should be the very essence of how you recruit. Therefore you should use it all year round. Create it at the beginning of the financial year, and regularly check in as the year passes to ensure you are meeting your targets.

How Can You Improve Your Recruiting Plan?

Improve your recruitment plan by having clear goals for the year ahead, knowing your budget, and understanding the skills you seek. Furthermore, collaborate with others when creating the plan, and make sure the interview and onboarding processes are up to scratch.

Final Thoughts

Recruitment can be a long process with multiple steps. Having a recruitment plan will ensure efficiency and effectiveness in your hiring process. Take the time to identify any missing skill sets in your teams, then consider what type of person would fit best.One aspect of recruiting to consider is the background checks you will complete after the interview stage. For more information on which types of searches to carry out, contact ScoutLogic now.

David Garcia

David Garcia, co-founder and CEO of Scout Logic, is an industry leader in the bulk background check world. With his strategic acumen and expertise in the HR sphere, specifically in hiring, recruiting, legal compliance, background checks, and resume screening, he’s an invaluable asset and consultant.

David's counsel extends across the boards of ScoutLogic, YipitData, and Supplier.io, drawing from his impactful stints on the boards of Infutor and Avetta. With an extensive 25-year journey, he champions unparalleled B2B commercial leadership within data & analytics, significantly shaping the HR landscape.