When a regional need becomes national: Scaling hiring processes for success

While it may be reasonable for most companies to plan for steady, gradual growth, there's no telling when a new project or initiative will require fast, effective and substantial increases in staffing levels. In some cases, organizations might have plenty of advance notice. But, often, prior warning of increased staffing needs is impossible, which prevents in-depth planning on the part of HR teams, hiring managers and other key stakeholders.

A dependable, scalable staffing partner is foundational for success — especially when hiring doesn't have the benefit of forewarning.

Don't let an opportunity turn into a liability

Even a seasoned, expert recruiting team may not be able to take on a task like mass hiring on a short timescale. High-volume hiring needs may cover skill sets with which internal recruiters:

• Lack experience.
• Don't have an existing talent pool to access.
• Lack the reserves to hire at the scale required within the timeline.
• Don't have an efficient system in place to streamline the recruitment process.

If these staff members aren't already used to the process of screening, interviewing, selecting and onboarding new workers at a high volume and speed, they're likely unable to provide the support you need to achieve successful outcomes. Ultimately, the right partner is a key factor in helping your business more effectively address variable staffing needs as they come.

How experienced recruiters and staffing specialists support your goals

How can seasoned recruiters and specialists quickly adjust and scale to align with your needs?
 

Staffing organizations have the right resources, operational experience and industry knowledge to adjust their workflows for high-volume efforts. Moreover, project leaders at the firm can help their partners decide on the best path forward.

These teams have been in similar positions before, so they know how to successfully navigate them. That knowledge includes both the direct recruiting process and all of the support work needed to effectively communicate internally, track progress, make sure incoming hires are properly onboarded and share vital information with their partners.

How do recruiters leverage specialized knowledge for more efficient hiring?

In a high-volume staffing project, you might have to source candidates from across the country. With existing knowledge around key details like cost of living and regional wage variances, a recruiting firm can strategically draw from a far larger candidate pool than most businesses can access. If these candidates will be on-boarded to work remotely, a dependable staffing partner will also have a wealth of expertise in managing secure, remote setups for incoming hires.

How do existing candidate relationships and strong referral networks support recruiters?

Reliable recruiters form strong bonds with both employers and candidates. They gain a clear picture of each worker's strengths, competencies and interests. In cases where many workers must be recruited quickly, a staffing agency can tap into its additional knowledge of individuals it's worked with in the past, matching them to the job at hand. Even if a past candidate is not ready for a job change, they may know someone who is, allowing recruiters to leverage referral networks to identify qualified, well-suited candidates.

How are proven internal processes and management structures an aid to the process?

Effective oversight is crucial for realizing success in a large-scale hiring process. Dependable recruiting firms can effectively coordinate, share important information and put useful strategies and tactics into place throughout a hiring project. Their familiarity with what would otherwise be an extraordinary situation for your business means less confusion and more productive work.

How are in-house specialists valuable in a mass-hiring scenario?

Recruiting firms often have a variety of in-house specialists who focus on specific industries, markets and skill sets. As a result, clients can turn to these teams for targeted support. For example - even if a project focuses mainly on hiring a large customer service team, there may also be an additional need to hire additional internal IT support to coordinate remote setups and provide infrastructural support. A division that generally focuses on hiring in the technology space could, in this example, help the customer service recruiting specialists to recruit for the appropriate roles, combing for candidates with the perfect skills and backgrounds.

Are there other internal responsibilities that your business must address?

While a recruiting firm can take on the vast majority of a high-volume hiring project, a client has some vital responsibilities as well:

• Creating clear definitions of job roles and related responsibilities: Specific and informative definitions guide much of the candidate selection process and are a prerequisite to recruiter success.
• Ongoing and consistent communication with your partner firm: When a project involves mass hiring on a short timeline, these conversations provide valuable guidance to both parties and lead to more positive results.

Important considerations for quickly scaled hiring projects

In the case of a specialized hiring project, you may need to expand your horizons to use contingent labor. While time to hire isn't the only metric that matters, contract employees are incredibly valuable when speed is essential.

How can you ensure that workers hired for fully contract positions are truly qualified for the role?

A skilled recruiter can support effective placement using:

• General experience in the field.
• Existing familiarity with potential hires.
• The consistent ability to match candidate skills and aptitude with a job description.

A dependable partner in extraordinary times

When your business faces a unique, pressing and mission-critical situation like mass hiring on a tight deadline, it needs a recruiting agency it can count on. Our Beacon Hill Associates division has deep experience hiring for a wide variety of roles across a range of industries, from individual positions to exceptionally large groups of them, with a proven track record of success.

We leverage the experience and expertise present across our many divisions to assemble a team that can address all of your needs when your hiring dynamics suddenly change. Whether it's finding a new member of the C-suite or bringing in a group of entry-level workers, we consistently apply the best possible workflows and strategies to supply your organization with reliable and high-performing new talent.

Want to learn more about working with Beacon Hill to address your talent acquisition needs? Get in touch with us today to learn more.