· 8 min read
As the new year approaches, recruiters have a lot on their plate. From reviewing hiring goals to updating recruitment strategies, there are many tasks to complete. In this blog post, we'll outline the key things that agency recruiters should do to prepare for a successful new year.
At a recruitment agency, the end of the year can be a busy and stressful time. Between trying to meet hiring goals and juggling candidate search strategies, it’s easy to forget the small details.
In order to stay competitive in the recruitment space, a thorough review of your recruitment process is needed to identify these small areas for improvement in order to set you up for success in the coming year!
Now is the perfect time to start thinking about how you want to close out 2022 and make sure your recruiting efforts are effective and efficient. Having an end of year checklist is key to ensure that all necessary tasks are completed and you start off the new year on a positive note.
To help you make sure you don’t miss anything important, here is an end-of-year checklist for agency recruiters that covers everything from job search to talent acquisition to candidate experience.
Before starting work on any end-of-year projects or initiatives, it’s important to review your goals from last year.
Take a look at your recruitment metrics, such as time-to-fill, offer acceptance rate, and cost-per-hire. Evaluate what worked well and which strategies didn’t quite pan out as planned.
Measuring performance against goals will give you a sense of how well you’ve been performing and where you may need to make improvements.
It’s also important for agency recruiters to review their budget at this time of year.
Make sure you have enough funds allocated for recruitment activities in 2023, such as hiring costs, technology investments, advertising campaigns, etc.
You may also want to consider ways in which you can save money on recruitment efforts by taking advantage of discounts or limited-time offers from vendors or suppliers. Like Chatkick! Their Talent CRM product has a free trial happening now!
Review the job postings you’ve used this year and consider whether they’ve been effective in attracting qualified candidates. Think about what you could do differently to improve your chances of finding the right fit for each position.
A strong option is to rewrite your job descriptions and expand your search beyond traditional job boards.Traditional job boards like Indeed and Monster are still important sources of leads for recruiters, but if you want to find truly talented candidates you need to expand your search beyond these sites.
For example, consider using niche job sites that cater specifically to your industry or target audience as well as social media groups related to your field or even professional associations or alumni networks from universities or colleges related to your industry.
Using social media to connect with candidates has become an essential tool for recruiting new talent and connecting with potential hires. With more than 3 billion users across all major platforms, it provides a great opportunity for recruiters to reach out to candidates who may not be actively searching for jobs but would be interested in opportunities they find out about through their networks.
Also, LinkedIn is one of the best social media sites for recruiters because it allows them to connect directly with potential candidates and build relationships over time.
By casting a wider net you’ll increase your chances of finding quality talent who may not have been found otherwise.
One of the most important things an agency recruiter can do is stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and tools available.
Agency recruiters know how vital it is to keep their database organized with accurate information but this is especially true at the end of the year - when new roles will be created, past positions may become available again, and business needs may change.
Make sure all contact information is accurate, job titles are updated, and take some time to research new software or platforms that might be able to help streamline your recruiting process. This could include anything from applicant tracking systems (ATS) to video interviewing platforms. Check out Chatkick’s Interview Insights to make hiring decisions up to 3X faster!
Also, you should always analyze your ATS data so you can make informed decisions about hiring processes and candidate selection criteria.
Reviewing key metrics such as time-to-hire and cost-per-hire identifies areas where improvements need to be made.
Additionally, analyze applicant sources such as job boards or social media sites that bring in the most qualified candidates so that you know where best to focus your recruiting efforts next year.
The end of the year is a great time to take some time to review the positions you’ve posted over the past year and make sure that they accurately reflect your company’s goals and objectives.
As a recruiter, the quality of your job search will determine the success or failure of your agency’s recruitment efforts.
5 Questions to Think About:
Consider how you can improve on existing postings or create new ones that better meet employer needs in 2023.
The first step is to evaluate your current recruitment strategies and identify any areas that need improvement. Consider the different candidate sourcing strategies you’ve used this year and which have been most successful.
5 Questions to Think About:
Think about how you can build on those strategies or try new ones in the coming year. Evaluating past performance will help inform what changes need to be made moving forward—so don’t skip this step!
Take a look at your hiring process from start to finish and think about where you might be able to streamline or improve the experience for both candidates and hiring managers.
The next step is to gain a thorough understanding of your target audience. Who are they? What do they care about?
The candidate experience is one of the most important aspects of any recruitment process and it should be tailored to each individual candidate—which means taking their individual needs into account.
First impressions matter, so it’s essential that candidates feel valued throughout their journey with your agency.
Knowing who you’re targeting can help you create an effective hiring strategy that speaks directly to them, as well as tailor your job postings so they stand out from the competition.
Focusing on DE&I initiatives can help ensure that your candidate pool reflects a variety of perspectives and backgrounds.
Additionally, recruiting can be a time-consuming process, but automation tools can help speed up certain aspects of recruiting while still delivering high-quality results.
From applicant tracking systems (ATS) that automate tasks like creating and posting job postings online and screening resumes, to video interviewing software that enables recruiters and hiring managers to quickly connect with remote candidates, there are plenty of options available for those looking to streamline their recruitment processes and save time.
Your agency’s employment branding strategy plays a huge role in influencing potential applicants and helping them understand why they should choose you over other agencies.
Make sure you’re putting your best foot forward by updating your employer branding materials and promoting your company culture.
The end of the year is a great time to review how effectively you are communicating your company’s employment brand online.
3 Questions to Think About:
It’s important to stay up-to-date on technology trends in order to remain competitive in the industry.
This includes researching emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and machine learning (ML) — all of which are becoming increasingly important in the recruiting field.
Make sure you know how to use existing recruitment software systems effectively; this will help streamline the process and give you an edge over other agencies when it comes time for hiring.
Additionally, think about how you can use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or even TikTok to promote open positions or share insight into what it’s like to work at your agency. These small but impactful touches help create an inviting atmosphere for potential hires!
Recruiting is an ongoing process—but taking stock at the end of each year helps ensure that your agency remains competitive in today’s ever-changing job market.
This will enable the ability to fill positions faster while maintaining a high standard of quality when it comes to selecting new hires who will add value to the organization in the long run.
Don’t forget - when in doubt - consult with colleagues or industry experts for advice on best practices - check out these invaluable insights from Chatkick into what works and doesn’t work in today’s competitive recruiting environment!
Take some time now to review your performance from last year and you’ll have a jumpstart on meeting your hiring objectives for 2023!
Make sure set specific, measurable goals for each area to help you stay on track for what promises to be an exciting year!
