Why the New Year Is the Best Time to Rethink Your Hiring Strategy

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From best practices to collecting feedback and from writing job descriptions and creating internal recruitment processes, the holiday season gives HR professionals time to reflect.

This year, the U.S. saw a record number of job postings, making the job market more competitive than ever. This means employers have had to rethink how they approach their hiring strategy.

To get a better idea of the changes employers are making as the New Year approaches, we turned to Talent Acquisition Lead Danielle Bergere, Talent Acquisition Director Nicolas Serva, and Field Marketing Specialist Adam Newman. Below, they share insights on five of their go-to hiring strategies.

6 Hiring Strategy Tweaks to Make for the New Year

Move Quickly

Danielle’s top tip? Up the speed of your hiring process.

“We expect awesome candidates to receive multiple offers now, so we try to move them through the process as quickly as possible,” she says. “It’s also a great way to show candidates we’re being mindful of their time and that we take their candidacy seriously.”

Phone screenings can help you get a strong sense of a candidate’s potential, while it’s also worth considering panel interviews (where a group of employees interviews one candidate) and group interviews (where a group of candidates is interviewed at the same time).

It’s also important to think about who needs to be in the room and whose feedback you trust when hiring for each role. Who will they report to and who will they work with most often? These questions will help define this key area of your hiring strategy.

Offer Competitive Compensation

When hiring for a new role, make sure to benchmark your salaries and offer market-competitive compensation.

“Beyond providing excellent benefits and perks, compensation is one of the strongest tools we have when it comes to recruiting the right candidate,” Danielle says.

If you’re not getting the candidates you’re looking for, or they’re not moving forward in the hiring process, do some additional research. Make sure the compensation for the role aligns with the skill level and qualifications you’re searching for.

Make Your Job Stand Out

One scroll through LinkedIn or Indeed will show you the sheer number of job postings in North America alone. With competition this steep, it all comes down to how your job stacks up against all the others.

“Employers need to be really precise about what they’re looking for. The owner of the role or position needs to know exactly what they’re looking for and how this person will serve the company,” Adam says. “Clear expectations also mean you’ll get specialists rather than generalists, so you’ll be growing for the future and not just for today.”

Make sure to spend time up-front on employer branding. We recommend starting by identifying concrete value props not only for the role but also for the company as a whole. Some of the questions you might want to consider include:

• Why do people work for your company?

• What makes your company stand out from its competitors?

• Why do people like working on this particular team or with this manager?

• What can new employees expect in their first 30, 60, or 90 days?

From there, you can consider visuals and design assets and employee testimonials. Danielle recommends even thinking beyond the specific role and your company.

“I’d also take it a step further and think about the impact of your company’s vision. People want to know your company is going somewhere and that their role will create real change for your customers” Danielle says.

Other elements to include are information about work/life balance; flexibility; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and internal career advancement opportunities.

Reevaluate Your Job Qualifications

When it comes to job qualifications, it’s important for your hiring strategy to have a balance. Keep in mind both what’s realistic and what your ultimate candidate would look like.

If you’re having a hard time finding the right fit, take another look at the qualifications section. Are there some elements that can be coached or taught?

“Making job postings more accessible and less overwhelming can make it easier for the right candidate to find your post,” Danielle says. “One of the qualities we look for in candidates is a willingness to learn, so that’s something we keep in mind when we’re drafting job descriptions.”

Nicolas adds, “Diversity is even more key when hiring in a competitive market. It’s a great opportunity for companies to welcome employees from different horizons and backgrounds”

Plan for Accelerated Career Growth

When people are on the hunt for a new job, they want to see growth in one to two years—not five.

Adam says, “Define the clear next steps so they can have a clear pathway to success. It also helps keep expectations realistic and helps the candidate know their next steps are being considered.”

Maintain Evergreen Opportunities

Our last tip for adapting your hiring strategy is one you can think about throughout the year—and it all comes down to planning.

Danielle says her team swears by having consistent evergreen roles posted (especially for tech jobs like software developers and engineers).

“We make sure we always have job postings ready for those types of roles, so we’re always recruiting top talent even if the role isn’t open yet,” she says.

This strategy can also work for support or sales reps or if you have a fluctuating team based on demand.

If you’re looking for a job at a fast-growing scaleup, take a look at Aircall’s latest job opportunities.

Published on December 17, 2021.