a strong resourcing strategy forms the basis of all recruitment initiatives.

Candidate resourcing strategies are a way to identify future staffing needs and work out how to ensure those needs are met.

They apply as much to smaller organisations as larger ones. SMEs may feel they lack the time and resources to dedicate to this prerequisite, and to recruitment in general.

But having an effective strategy goes a long way to maximising the effective use of resources in the long run.

the areas a resourcing strategy covers include:

• If and when to recruit externally or develop existing employees.
• Working with the whole organisation to understand its current and future staffing needs.
• Addressing resourcing not only in terms of filling vacancies but also through the wider needs and expectations of candidates.

top tips for building a successful candidate resourcing strategy:

• Whatever your organisation’s size, make sure someone is specifically in charge of recruitment resourcing.
• Narrow down the employer brand and employee value proposition (EVP) to determine what your company offers employees i.e. why people should prefer you to a competitor.
• Consider whether you can fill any gaps between need and provision by adjusting existing roles, providing training, flexible working, or creating career paths to build loyalty and enhance your employer brand.
• Develop an internal pool of candidates by using internal referral schemes and contacting employees who have previously applied for internal roles when a new vacancy occurs.
• For hard-to-fill roles, consider establishing relationships with graduates, past employees and contacts through networking events to build a talent pool to contact when a vacancy arises.
• Monitor hiring practices and expenditure to gauge the most successful and cost-effective channels.
• When selecting a recruitment agency, look for one expert in your industry that offers a genuine partnership, based on longer-term recruitment needs.

before commencing recruitment, ask yourself these questions:

• Is this a replacement position?
• Would the organisation benefit if the role was altered?
• What skills, competencies, knowledge and experience, including soft skills and behaviours, are required?

once these questions are answered:

• Prepare an up-to-date job specification detailing tasks, reporting lines, areas of responsibility and performance criteria.
• Prepare a person specification describing the behaviours and attributes the successful applicant should possess.
• Determine how to source candidates for the vacancy, taking into account your recruitment strategy.