Proactive vs Reactive Recruitment

When you hire, is it proactive or reactive? Do you have a strategy in place or is it ad-hoc driven? Maybe it's a combination of the two. Whether it's proactive or reactive, which you focus on could have a significant impact on your culture and ultimately, the company's bottom line.

One of the things I really enjoy about my work is delving into the organisational strategies of my clients. Working with them to formulate a hiring plan that aligns with their culture and goals often brings about the topic of proactive and reactive recruitment. Which is better, and what's going to work best for them.

We are living in the unknown. Covid-19 has shaken things up, and when we look back on this time, I'm confident we will have a much more robust understanding of business and how we work. Already we have learned to expect the unexpected. So, when I talk to clients about their workforce plans and recruitment strategies, I highlight the importance of the present and the future and how they need to be balanced. Reactive recruitment addresses the now, but what about next month, or next quarter, or in five years? This is where proactive recruitment strategies and workforce planning measures come into play.

Proactive Recruitment Measures

Being proactive is about keeping ahead of the game; addressing potential issues/situations before they occur. Here are some proactive measures for your tool kit:

• Inspect the market
• Interview for the future not the current
• Audit your company's Ability V's Capability 
• Monitor company performance and behaviours
• Procedure checkup - what's needed, what can be improved, what can go

Yes. These measures take time and money, and we're talking about spending on intangibles like market mapping and competitor analysis, or even investing in talent before they might be needed. But trust me, this strategy will likely be much cheaper in the long run! Why? Because this is the framework for building / managing a fantastic team, either by complementing existing strengths or by filling gaps in the organisation. This strategy gives you the best chance of ensuring you hire right, the first time. It also gives off the right image to the market - that you know what you're doing - and that helps your employer brand, probably more than most appreciate. And it all filters down to money.

Reactive Recruitment Measures

Reactive recruitment deals with needs and challenges when they occur. Unlike proactive recruitment, its actions are around putting things right, rather than the anticipation of your needs going forward.

Some reactive recruitment measures might include:

• Reducing headcount
• Increasing headcount
• Freezing headcount
• Ill health and sickness reviews
• Identifying trends in short term employment

The word 'reactive' can bring about a negative connotation, but these measures most assuredly have a time and a place. Things go wrong. It's a fact of business and life. And, when these things happen, we are put under pressure for an immediate fix. We're living through it right now with Covid-19. Companies are being incredibly reactive, looking at measures to get their operations functioning as close to normal as possible. 

In the long term however, be mindful that these measures will be more costly and should serve only as a short term fix. I'm currently working with my clients to lay out their plans for the future. How do they effectively bring back furloughed employees? What their talent acquisition strategy post-Summer might look like, and helping formulate their workforce plan for the next two to three years. 

Which is Best, Proactive or Reactive?

The evidence is pretty clear. If you're a forward-thinking organisation, a proactive approach is likely the best choice. From a cost perspective, it'll almost always be cheaper. And, from a strategy standpoint, it ensures you're ahead of the game.

What we do today can impact our business well into the future. And now more than ever, our idea of workforce planning, especially in terms of crisis management, needs to be open and flexible. Using the Persian adage that 'This too shall pass', we all need to look ahead and ensure momentum continues. 

If anybody in my network would like to discuss in more detail or see what other proactive measures they could be taking I am happy to jump on a Zoom/Skype/WhatsApp discussion or an old fashioned conversation on the "wireless" is also doable. Best contact details are c.mccarthy@masonalexander.ie or shoot me a message on Linkedln.