Staying Focused on Your Recruitment and Retention Goals

Tens of thousands of people don’t leave quietly.

The high-profile layoffs at large companies like Meta, Amazon, and Twitter are a frequent topic in my conversations with CEOs and HR leaders. The impact of large numbers of workers, especially those from the tech sector, reentering the jobs market will be felt for months to come, and yet my clients understandably want to know: “What does this mean for us?”

It’s tempting to shift your recruiting strategy to respond to the latest workforce buzzwords, whether it’s loud layoffs, quiet quitting, or career cushioning. But I encourage my clients to remember that their recruitment strategy will be most effective when it’s centered around long-term goals and establishing a talent pipeline that will deliver qualified candidates for years to come. Those goals don’t depend on attracting large numbers of candidates to apply for an opportunity with your company. They are centered on a strategic approach to ensure that you’re attracting the right candidates—those who are fully qualified and able to begin contributing on day one.

I’m a big believer in recruitment research, a five-step process that has delivered proven results for my clients. Each of these five steps—strategy development, name generation, position promotion, candidate evaluation, and presentation and reporting—are vital to ensuring the best fit between candidate and opportunity. But for now, let’s focus on that first step: strategy development. Strategy development involves a thoughtful, collaborative process in which my clients and I spend time assessing current and future needs. We spend far less time thinking about who might be available and instead focus on how we can ensure that every candidate who is considered can contribute something unique and of value.

I’m not interested in a speed-dating approach to recruitment. I want my clients to build lasting relationships.

That doesn’t mean ignoring shifts in the marketplace or overlooking opportunities to form a connection with great candidates. But it does require an awareness that the candidate with the talent and the right skills for your company may be a passive candidate, someone who is not actively looking for work.

This brings us back to the importance of building a sustainable and targeted strategy for recruitment and retention. There is a common theme in all of the buzzwords that have been used to describe working trends in the past few months, one that has shaped the advice I share with clients:

Demonstrate that you value your employees.

The very best way to attract and retain top talent is to ensure that your employees feel valued. Offer flexibility in hours and in opportunities for remote and hybrid work schedules. Provide training and development that ensures employee engagement and facilitates career advancement. Create a culture that employees want to be part of. Promote employee wellness and work/life balance. And, of course, pay employees fairly and deliver a competitive benefits package.

Staying focused on your recruitment goals is challenging when there’s so much “noise” and loud layoffs in the industry. But don’t get distracted. You don’t need tens of thousands of candidates to apply for your opportunity. You want the right candidates, the best candidates, the highly skilled individuals who believe in your mission and can’t wait to get started.