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It’s the beginning of 2016 and your company may be looking to expand or shake things up for the year ahead.

So when is a good time to begin the hiring process?

Typically, most companies spend the first part of January catching up from the holiday break and planning for the year. Your organization may not be ready to even start looking at resumes until mid-to-late January. However, since many companies are on this same cycle, hiring managers should avoid sitting on their hands and attempt to beat the competition for quality workers right out of the gate.

Prime the pipeline

For many companies, budgetary issues for the month, quarter and/or year are ironed out in the first week of January. If you’re considering taking on more personnel, spend the first week reaching out and priming the pipeline with potential job candidates.

With the Great Recession firmly in the rearview mirror, more people are working full-time 2016 than in previous years, and that means companies must dig deeper to connect to active candidates and locate passive candidates.

Connecting to potential candidates through social media and at industry events can also shorten the hiring process by having prospect in the pipeline. This could means the difference between landing a top quality candidate and watching as that candidate is snapped up by a competitor. Furthermore, candidates in the pipeline are up to speed and productive faster than if they were hired starting from scratch.

Take a measured and flexible approach

In addition to reaching out to potential employees, hiring managers need to be both patient and flexible in their criteria when starting out 2016.

With a new budget and the demands of the new year upon you, it may be tempting to quickly throw up some job posting and fill position as soon as possible. However, this ‘quick fix’ mentality can lead to bad hires that end up costing your company in the long run. Don’t let the pressures of the season influence your hiring and make sure you are hiring well-qualified candidates.

That being said, the labor market currently favors the job seeker and because of this – hiring managers should be more open minded about the people they hire. During the Great Recession, a company may have had the luxury of looking for the perfect candidate, who matched every single one of the open position’s qualifications.

Now, hiring managers need to be more open-minded and creative when looking to fill positions. This doesn’t mean lowering standards. Rather, hiring managers should give more credence to those candidates who don’t meet every single bullet point of a job qualification, but have a track record of academic and/or professional excellence. Smart and talented individuals can learn many skills on the job, potentially turning into long-term valuable assets.

If your organization is looking to start off 2016 with a customized talent acquisition solution, feel free to give Cornerstone a call, and we can discuss the range of options we have in store!


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