Strategic Workforce Planning: Seven Steps To Driving Your Best Talent Acquisition Strategy

Strategic workplace planning (SWP) is a continuous process of identifying gaps in the organization’s workforce. It enables HR and other business leaders to identify different workforce needs and challenges, allowing them to take suitable action to ensure the organization is prepared for success not only today but also in the future. Join us as we explore the importance of strategic workforce planning and how it can benefit your organization. We have also highlighted seven essential steps of workforce planning and a framework for talent acquisition for your next job opening.

Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) plays an essential role when it comes to Talent Acquisition. It enables your organization to identify its future hiring needs while prioritizing factors that align with its business strategy. By integrating SWP into the hiring process companies can ensure that they are recruiting the mix of talent required to accomplish their organizational objectives.

This alignment between SWP and the hiring process allows for an approach, to hiring ensuring that the workforce is well-equipped to meet long-term goals. However, it’s important to note that despite the advantages of this collaboration many organizations do not actively involve Talent Acquisition in the SWP process and instead treat them as order takers.

An effective hiring process or talent acquisition strategy consists of elements that are designed to attract, assess, identify, and retain the best talent for the company’s current and future needs.

Here are seven essential steps for a successful strategy:

Develop a Strong Employer Brand

Creating a compelling employer brand can help you set your organization apart from the rest. Allowing you to promote your brand as a top destination for skilled professionals. Here are a few steps that will help you enhance your employer’s brand image:

• Define the employer value proposition (EVP)
• Create a compelling careers page
• Collect and share employee success stories
• Use social media to promote the employer’s brand
• Offer competitive compensation and benefits
• Foster employee engagement and growth
• Initiate employee advocacy
• Promote diversity and inclusion
• Provide a positive candidate experience

Assess Current and Future Talent Needs

Conduct thorough research on current and future talents based on your organization’s requirements and business goals.

• Conduct an organizational analysis to identify areas where new talent is needed.
• Determine short-term and long-term talent needs.
• Develop candidate profiles and detailed job descriptions for each role.
• Evaluate internal talent for potential promotion or upskilling.
• Prioritize roles that require immediate attention.

Leverage Targeted Sourcing Channels

Leveraging reliable outsourcing channels like social media can help you effectively connect with a wider pool of talented candidates.

• Maintain an updated careers page on your company’s website
• Post your recent openings on popular job boards and career websites
• Partner with reputable recruitment firms and staffing agencies
• Promote job openings on social media platforms
• Implement an employee referral program
• Attend industry-specific networking events and job fairs
• Engage with relevant professional associations and groups
• Reconnect with former employees through alumni networks
• Participate in online forums and industry-specific communities
• Explore online talent marketplaces and freelance platforms
• Reach out directly to potential candidates through emails or professional networking platforms

Create an Effective Screening Process

Implementing a structured and comprehensive screening process can significantly enhance your assessment in terms of the candidate’s skill set, qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Review resumes and cover letters
• Conduct phone screenings
• Administer skills assessments
• Conduct multiple or panel interviews
• Include behavioral interviews
• Assess cultural fit
• Check references
• Conduct background checks
• Assess soft skills

Improve the Candidate’s Experience

Improving candidates’ experience has become one of the essential part for job recruiters and HR departments. In the candidate-driven OB market, candidates often have their own choice of job offers.

• Provide clear and timely communication throughout the hiring process.
• Streamline the application process to make it user-friendly and efficient.
• Personalize candidate interactions to create a meaningful and engaging experience.
• Offer constructive feedback to candidates to help them understand their strengths and areas for improvement.
• Follow up with candidates to provide closure on their application status and encourage future connections.

Leverage Data and Analytics

In a competitive environment success of any organization relies on their ability to attract and retain the best talent. With the increasing competition, talent acquisition has evolved from a traditional gut feeling to an innovative data-driven strategic approach.

• Forecast talent demand based on historical data and job market trends
• Track and analyze the performance of different sourcing channels
• Assess the candidate’s journey to identify areas for improvement
• Measure application completion rates, time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and quality of hire
• Utilize data-driven assessment tools for candidate evaluation
• Analyze data on diversity, hiring outcomes, and employee retention for inclusion initiatives
• Evaluate the ROI of recruitment initiatives and strategies
• Use predictive analytics for talent management decision-making

Employ Useful Technologies (Digital Recruitment Platform)

Recruitment technologies are revolutionizing the way organizations find, screen, and hire new talent. Using AI technology to match a candidate’s skill set, and screen resume has made the hiring process faster, effective, and less likely to go wrong.

• Implement an applicant tracking system (ATS) to streamline the recruitment process
• Utilize AI-powered sourcing and screening tools to identify top talent
• Incorporate video interviews to save time and get a better understanding of candidates
• Use employee referral software to streamline the referral process
• Host virtual events and career fairs using online platforms
• Use data analytics and reporting tools for informed decision-making
• Develop mobile recruitment applications for convenient candidate engagement
• Utilize candidate relationship management (CRM) systems to maintain candidate databases and provide personalized experiences

Looking for pre-qualified, talented candidates? Look no further than Taggd. Our advanced digital recruitment platform offers access to over one million pre-screened candidates, saving you time and effort in the hiring process. Our platform can provide profiles of potential candidates and ensure that all necessary information is readily available for making informed hiring decisions and establishing a strong pool of talented individuals for your organization.