Now is the Time to Focus on Talent

As we near the end of the first quarter of 2020, take a moment to stop and reflect. How are you feeling? Are your wheels spinning, or have you remained steady despite some unforeseen storms?

After less than three months, this year has been nothing short of eventful. Volatility surrounding the coronavirus, an unstable global economy, and a shifting political climate has many organizations preparing for an uncertain impact on the job market in the United States and abroad.

Juxtapose today’s hiring outlook with that of nine months ago, and the contrast is stark. According to the report, Glassdoor’s Job and Hiring Trends for 2020, job candidates were in the driver’s seat in 2019. The United States unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent as we experienced the nation’s longest-ever economic expansion. Organizations couldn’t hire talent fast enough, and the number of vacant jobs reached more than 7 million, a near all-time high.

Honing your hiring strategy

In the face of such global, economic, and social disruption, your agency’s recruitment and onboarding strategy is one of the few things you can control. Now is the time to tighten your approach to hiring and retaining talent. It’s important that your organization stands out as an employer of choice in both flourishing and languishing job markets.

According to the Glassdoor report, an employer’s emphasis on brand image is one hiring trend not expected to slow. Even during a recession, your organization’s need to differentiate itself from the competition does not change. Organizations that maintain a long-term focus on strengthening their brand and attracting the right talent will gain a leading edge regardless of the macro forces swirling around them.

The recruitment and onboarding roadmap

Developing a clear employer brand is the first step in our Hiring Process Framework. From talent attraction and selection to onboarding and culture integration, this process acts as a roadmap for leaders who want to acquire, develop, and retain the right employees.

This month I will unpack this five-step model in subsequent blog articles. Read best practices for sourcing talent, screening candidates, and vetting new hires. You can get started by downloading our 50 + Interview questions below. Discover how to integrate onboarding—the process by which new employees acquire necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members—within your hiring strategy. And learn how to create your own hiring roadmap based on well-defined talent management intentions.

As you begin to chart your recruitment and onboarding path, Brighter Strategies is here to help. We support nonprofits, associations, and corporations that want to improve operations to better meet their missions. Contact us today to learn more.