Help, I'm short of staff! An action plan

Many entrepreneurs in the current market will recognize it. Where 'you used to' were almost exclusively looking for customers, nowadays you are almost as often looking for staff. Employers no longer have employees to choose, but vice versa. Many companies, especially in the SME sector, are short of structural personnel. How do you solve such a problem now, both in the short and long term? In this blog we offer you a clear plan of approach.

Recruitment is marketing

Recruitment is in many ways similar to traditional marketing in today's economy. However, you are not marketing a product or service, but a function in your company. When you get your recruitment strategy as a marketing model approach, you will soon see which steps in this process are underexposed and which deserve extra attention. We have set out the steps that you can distinguish below for you. For each step, it is stated which facets are important and which questions you could ask yourself.

Step 1: Recruitment

Just like customers don't just come to you to close deals, staff don't just come along. Nowadays you will have to ensure that you are visible as an employer, that you are employer branding and that you reach the right target group. But how do you handle that now?

The term has been around for a while: employer branding can really help you get in touch with the right potential applicants. In short, employer branding means that you market your 'brand' as an employer in a well-considered way. You ensure a good image, for example through campaigns on social media. People know about your company and why it is so cool to come and work for you.

Choose carefully which resources and channels you want to use in this form of marketing. are you going facebook recruit? Or just through LinkedIn? Or both? Where is your target audience located and how can you best address them? What language do you speak? What distinguishes you from your competitors, why should someone come to work for you? All things to think about and to crystallize before implementing your recruitment strategy.

Also invaluable is a good careers-page on your website. This is the melting pot of your employer brand and the landing page for potential applicants. Preferably, the careers page is well thought out and ensures a good conversion. For example, use Google Analytics. Make sure your careers page is continuously improving and refreshed; this page is crucial in your recruitment process!

Now that the candidates have registered, it is time to set up a selection procedure.

Step 2: Selection

Of course you don't hire all applicants blindly. How do you deal with selection once you have a good recruitment process in place? In this step, focus mainly on the departments for which it takes a lot of effort and time to find the right people. Are you selecting the right factors here?

For the IT department, for example, the market is currently extremely tight. The ideal applicant will most likely not come along. You will have to take this into account in your selection method. Accept rough diamonds and, above all, let the other employees of the department look over your shoulder. Sometimes crucial soft skills turn out to be more important for your company than, for example, work experience.

Step 3: Application procedure

Every applicant wants to experience a smooth, smooth application procedure. Especially if they have several employers to choose from, a slow, bureaucratic application process is an excellent reason to drop out. Do you often experience that applicants give up during the procedure? Then there is work to be done.

Map out your application process, if necessary by 'applying' yourself at your own company. How does the process go, how long do the steps take? Is it clear to you as an applicant at all times that your application is being worked on? It is often viscous processes that slow things down and make people drop out.

Also ask applicants who eventually drop out for feedback. Not everyone will be willing to give it, but you may receive good insights here and there about why applicants do not persevere. Perhaps you offer unattractive employment conditions or there is something wrong with the way in which you communicate. You have to know the problem before you can solve it.

An induction period ensures that the new employee feels at home.

Step 4: Training period

Of course you don't want to lose someone once on board after a few months. That is why it is important to keep a finger on the pulse after starting employment. How does each department prevent a new employee from being thrown in at the deep end and left disillusioned?

Provide a warm welcome and have regular progress meetings. In particular, let the new employee indicate where help is needed and which things they like or don't like. Of course, act quickly when necessary and safeguard your learnings for the future.