When devising and managing the resourcing strategy, all companies are faced with a similar decision – is there to be a focus on direct sourcing, will you be developing an Internal Resourcing model or will you be outsourcing to the likes of an RPO? At this Resourcing Think Tank we specifically focused on building the internal resourcing function and the various trials and tribulations that recruitment face in doing so, such as:

·         The continued justification to the business that you will deliver and are a credible resource

·         The split between direct and agency hiring

·         Doing more for less – better talent management, more employee referrals and increasing requisition numbers

·         Reducing agency spend and preventing hiring managers from deviating from process. 

Operating a direct sourcing model

One of the main advantages of moving to a direct sourcing model is control. You are able to manage candidate engagement, the employer branding message taken to market and take ownership for the data captured along the way. The latter is incredibly important for talent pooling and making the recruitment process as efficient as possible should a similar requisition arise in the future. So, are your systems fit for purpose and importantly, future proofed? It’s not much good if your recruiters are solely operating out of spread sheets, Outlook or by using their LinkedIn Recruiter licence – how is anyone else going to access this invaluable information should that employee leave? Installing a good ATS is crucial from a candidate management and consistency perspective – the challenge is getting your recruiters to comply! Should they work on commission or a bonus, why not link their remuneration to compliance with the system?

With cost per hire becoming less of a business driver as the market picks up, it seems time to hire is becoming more prevalent. But what is an acceptable time to hire window? RTT members reported anywhere between 40 – 60 days from requisition approval to offer acceptance is typical. However, Executive level hires would sit somewhere around the 100 days mark.

Demonstrating resourcing’s credibility

For people who sit outside of HR, the various silos can blend into one and the wider business will often have a challenge accepting the purpose of the different functions. Typically they want one HR point of contact and this mentality can prove detrimental to their belief in the Resourcing function’s ability. It’s therefore important not to assume that the business knows what you are doing! It’s a question of proving yourself on a case by case basis and building the credibility internally through your track record. For hiring managers who are sceptical in the first instance, make sure you are armed with evidence to demonstrate your capability as a function during the first engagement phase. Where possible always take a detailed job brief face to face or at the very least over the phone. During the conversation introduce your function, your sourcing methodology and relevant case studies of similar roles to strengthen their trust. What’s proved effective for some businesses is involving the hiring manager in the sourcing activity by getting them to post the job out to their networks and encouraging them to help you start the name gathering phase. It’s great if you end up hiring one of their leads, so make sure you recognise their contribution accordingly.

Proactive sourcing

Are your internal recruiters order takers or are they getting involved in wider business conversations to assist proactive sourcing? Perhaps there’s a need to employ two different types of recruiters, one type whose job it is to do the CV sifting and a second who are responsible for getting involved in wider conversations about forecasting; more like a Business Partner. Involving recruitment in talent review and succession planning discussions will likely prevent the ‘panic button’ being hit when someone leaves, or worse retires! What’s more, HR and finance are guilty of having poor lines of communication – structuring weekly meetings for finance, HR and recruitment to align activity is vital for supporting proactive sourcing.

Preventing hiring managers going out of process

A bi-product of the poor trust that exists between the business and recruitment is a tendency for hiring managers to deviate from process. There needs to be a clearly defined process communicated to the business, complete with penalties for circumventing it. Using the corporate induction to introduce recruitment is a great opportunity to do this. Quite often hiring managers won’t know the business’s formal stance on enlisting agencies that aren’t on the PSL, or even dealing with agencies that approach them through the ‘back door’. Training them on how to handle these situations is advisable – why not have your legal team prepare a letter for hiring managers to send to unsolicited agencies and nip the situation in the bud?

You get what you pay for

The utopian situation for most businesses is operating a 100% direct sourcing model – in reality this is unrealistic as there will always be certain specialist agencies that will source your niche roles faster and have access to better quality talent. You get what you pay for. However, many organisations are trying to drive agency fees down and what’s worse, some agencies are allowing this to happen! Why should agencies be squeezed on their fee when they are sourcing the ‘life blood’ of a business? It’s surely one of the most important things to fund appropriately. Rather than squashing fees, understand what you are paying for to ensure that it’s justifiable.