Choosing the right time to hire a new employee is a surprisingly difficult decision. If you are too early, you might be growing your workforce unnecessarily, which only stretches your payroll and dilutes the productivity of the workforce you had in place already. But wait too long to fill a vacancy or prepare for a project, and you could wind up scrambling to hire someone, which is never a wise way to conduct recruiting.
In order to find the perfect moment to begin scheduling interviews and negotiating compensation packages, we recommend having a contingency plan that you can turn to. If an employee suddenly leaves, or you get a massive new contract, this plan is designed to guide your hiring decisions so your workforce always has the size and makeup that it requires. The exact details of the plan will be different for every company, but keep these elements in mind as you develop yours.
Track Your Workforce Carefully
Start a document that lists every person you employ, their job title and description, important elements about their background and experience, and all the projects that they are currently working on. That way, if someone leaves, you can instantly know what you need to replace. Similarly, if you need to add new staff, you can easily analyze where your workforce is deficient.
Always Be Recruiting
You can recruit even if you are not trying to fill a specific vacancy. On your website, invite people to submit resumes to keep on file, and encourage the same thing at public or networking events. If you read these resumes as they come in and enter the information into a document, you can instantly put together a candidate pool if you do make the decision to hire. That allows you to jump straight to the interview phase.
Bring in Outside Voices
HR reps and executives don’t always have the best perspective on the tenor of a workforce. There might be employees whose time is stretched thin, or projects that are lagging, simply because decision makers don’t fully understand what their staff is capable of. Soliciting input from voices throughout your workforce can help ensure you always have the best perspective on when to hire.
Work the Details Out Early
When you do decide to hire, you want to do everything possible to get your ideal candidate to accept your offer. Make sure your hiring managers are consistently tracking average salaries, common benefit levels, and current compensation trends. If you are up-to-date with what’s going on in your industry, you are better equipped to make an offer that gets accepted.
One final strategy to consider is working with a recruiter. They have a pool of pre-screened candidates on hand at all times that you can pick from as the need arises. Partner with the engineering staffing experts at Selectek to build the dynamic workforce you require.
