Recruitment needs analysis: How to hire effectively

In this article you will learn:

• Why it is important to properly analyze your recruitment needs
• How to properly define the needs of your business:
  - identify the trigger for the need
  - rethink your roles
  - write a clear job description
  - do a market analysis

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Are you about to post an open position in your company? Before embarking on a long recruitment process, take the time to clearly define your company's needs for this role.

According to a Robert Half study, nearly a quarter of managers say they've made costly hiring mistakes in the past two years. These errors were often linked to a poor assessment of a candidate's skills and compatibility or to a job description that was too vague.

Effective recruitment therefore starts with a thorough analysis of the need. In particular, this allows:

• To attract the right profiles
• To reduce time and costs
• To strengthen employee retention
• To align recruitment with the company's strategic goals

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Steps for a good recruitment needs analysis

1. Identify the trigger for the need

At first glance, you know why you are posting a job. But taking the time to identify the trigger for the need could allow you to better define the role to be recruited.

Is it a job creation or a replacement? If it is a job creation, is it related to the growth of the company, a special project or a reorganization?

These different scenarios will not only influence the profile to be recruited, but also the way to recruit.

For example, if you are a business that has just lost a key executive. Rather than simply replacing the position, it may be beneficial to review your structure to better distribute responsibilities internally. And this restructuring has every interest in being done before starting your recruitment process.

If it is a question of creating a position in connection with the growth of your company, then it will be important to carefully analyze your current recruitment needs, but also the future needs, which will be brought about by this growth.

And finally, if you are looking to replace an employee who is still working, chances are that you will have to recruit differently and maybe even hire an external firm, to keep the process confidential.

2. Rethinking the role in case of departure

Sometimes an employee's departure can happen unexpectedly. When an employee leaves a position, businesses sometimes have a sense of urgency and rush to repost a job description with the same tasks and responsibilities, to find a replacement as quickly as possible.

But departures are often a good opportunity to rethink the role and analyze your recruitment needs.

For example, before hiring a replacement, you could:

• Delegate responsibilities to key employees
• Encourage internal career development
• Strengthen retention by valuing existing talent
• Decentralize critical functions to ensure the sustainability of the business
• Align the new role with current and future strategic plan priorities

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Once an internal analysis has been completed, you can then create a new role that meets the needs of your business. However, avoid creating a “catch-all” position with disparate tasks. It is crucial to plan the distribution of responsibilities in a coherent manner.

3. Write a clear job description

Now that your recruiting needs are well defined, it's time to put them on paper by writing a job description. A well-structured job description is a fundamental tool that will allow you to give a realistic job preview. It should include:

• The main role
• Key responsibilities
• Daily tasks
• The skills required
• The desired level of experience

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This description will not only be used to post your position on your career site and various job platforms, but it can also be used as a basis for market research conducted by an executive recruitment firm.

Check out this article for tips on writing a job description. If you do business with an external recruitment firm, they can assist you in writing or improving your job description.

4. Analyzing the market with an HR specialist or a recruitment firm

Now you know what you're looking for, but does that match the workforce available on the market? To complete the definition of your recruitment needs, the last step is to analyze the job market, in relation to your specific position.

With a job description in hand, an executive search firm like Thorens Talents can provide you with:

• Data on the salary scale
• The availability of candidates in your sector
• The typical profile for your role
• What these candidates are looking for in terms of culture, mission, and conditions

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This information is essential to adjust your needs and maximize your chances of attracting the best talent.

Indeed, if you are looking for a very specific profile, you will have to make sure that the salary offered corresponds to the market and that the tasks and responsibilities will interest the candidates.

For example, if you want to hire a senior profile, it is important to analyze whether your position, as described, will actually attract seniors.

If this is not the case, then you may need to assess the possibility of forming a more junior profile, that has good potential.

On the other hand, if you really need specific and specialized experience in your sector of activity, a junior or intermediate profile could be more limiting than a senior profile.

All of these elements can be discussed with recruiters, who are often in the best position to analyze the position in line with the market. A good recruitment firm will be able to tell you, at the beginning of your search, whether you need to adjust your position, the profile you are looking for or the salary.

In conclusion, when a recruitment need arises in your company, it is wise to take the time to properly identify the trigger of the need, to rethink your roles, to write a clear job description and to do a thorough analysis of the market.

This time of reflection will allow you to be more effective during your recruitment process, whether you decide to recruit yourself, or via an external firm. And in addition to reducing your deadlines and costs, this analysis will allow you to strengthen the retention of the employees you hire.

Would you like help to clearly define your recruitment needs with a recruiter? Schedule a free consultation with our experts:

Montreal — 514-842-7846

Drummondville — 819-445-7846

Toronto — 613-699-0021

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