Would you begin marketing your products and services the day you need the revenue?

Of course not, but that's what most companies do when recruiting employees they wait until they need an employee, then they start seeking! You need to recruit constantly!

The product/service marketing/sales process begins with a marketing plan. What should we sell? Who wants to buy it? Where are they? What will attract them? Your Recruitment Plan (marketing you as an employer to potential employees) will be the same: - Who Are Our Potential Employees? Here's the basis of your plan, this is where you target who will be successful by looking at who has been successful and their characteristics. You may need to make several recruiting plans if your employee job tasks are very diverse. I always try to start with one and then add if there is great diversity.

What Makes Us Attractive to Potential Employees?

Obviously you need to know this so you can create an organization that has the qualities that your target is seeking. Again, like customers, you change your products and services to meet their needs so they'll buy. This information is best gathered from current and past employees and those applicants you wanted but who didn't want you.

What Are 10 Benefits to Them of Working with Us?

Great info for your recruiting literature and interviewing. You can actually use the words that will show them the most benefit.

Who Are Our Competitors?

Watch to see how they're recruiting and learn from successes and mistakes.

Short Term/Long Term Objective Of Our Organization

No sense in doing a recruiting plan for a department that's being phased out know where your whole organization is going and integrate your plans.

Recruiting Strategies

Now you can use strategies that will actually attract the target you want. For companies that use the classified ads and local school job boards this is great if your target is anyone who can read at a 6th grade level, and the people who look at those boards.

How to Respond to Applicants

If you use strategies that are specific to your target, it will cause hoards of great applicants to come your way and you may not need some of them now. Your plan needs to include how you'll respond and keep in touch with them so they'll be there when you need them. Many companies using the "recruit constantly" method send potential employees a quarterly newsletter and other company generated info - a great, easy way to stay in their minds.

What Assessment Techniques to Use

Plan what assessment techniques, selection techniques, and closing (job offering) techniques you'll use so that you will choose things that are attractive to your target. For example, if one of your targets is students, asking them to come in for 2 or more interviews may be cumbersome and thus make you less attractive than a competitor!

Action Plan

Finally, you'll set up action steps and timelines so that strategies are implemented at the appropriate time and nothing slips through the cracks of your busy days.

Save time, save money and save energy recruiting constantly with a Recruiting Plan.

-Carolyn B. Thompson
Used with permission of Recruit, Inspire & Retain a monthly ezine of TRAINING SYSTEMS INC, www.trainingsys.com