How to get the most out of your recruitment budget in 2021

Yes, you can believe your eyes, it’s almost 2021! So, while we come to the end of a year that can be best described as challenging, it’s time to focus on planning for the year ahead - and that includes the all-important recruitment budget. Whether you’re thinking of growing your team or consolidating skillsets it’s vital to plan ahead as far as possible - whilst making sure you consider possible contingencies along the way. Read on to discover some actionable ways to get the most out of your recruitment budget in 2021. 

Promote the benefits of working for your organization, beyond compensation

It’s been a hard year for many of us, financially. And with a number of uncertainties ahead, it’s understandable that you may be worried about how you’ll afford to recruit the extra people you need. While it is always important to offer a competitive salary, if your budget simply won’t stretch to it, why not focus on the other benefits of working with your organization when writing your ads and specs? This could include:

1. Celebrating your company values. Candidates are increasingly seeking out companies that share their values and who promote diversity and inclusion and good business ethics in general. If this is your business, shout it from the rooftops!
2. Emphasizing your great working culture. If your business places a genuine focus on providing a great working environment, mention it in your advertisements. You might not be able to have the usual social meetups right now, but candidates are still looking for companies that value team wellbeing. Perhaps you’ve put processes in place during the pandemic that ensure your team doesn’t feel alone. Or maybe you’ve introduced initiatives to provide remote workers with higher levels of comfort. If so, let people know.
3. Mentioning the great L&D or career progression opportunities. No doubt you’ll be looking for ambitious and forward-thinking candidates to join your team, so make sure you promote the opportunities you offer for promotion or learning and development in your job ads and specs. If your budget in this area is modest, don’t promise what you can’t offer but do make sure you emphasize a culture of L&D in your business, such as internal mentoring. 

Optimize your marketing

There’s no point in spending time and money on advertising vacancies if your website and marketing collateral aren’t up to scratch. When prospective candidates visit your website or check you out on social media they want to see a company that looks professional, polished, ethical, and generally an attractive place to work. 

Consider including a careers hub on your website or an area where visitors can get to know your team. This should include professional credentials and some more personal information, where appropriate. Just a line or two about the individual’s interests or why they love their job will do. 

Ask your friends or peers to give you feedback on your marketing collateral. Is the language inclusive and does the company look welcoming and professional, for example. Often it is hard to evaluate our own marketing, especially if it hasn’t been refreshed for some time. 

Think about the skills gaps in your business

The pandemic has changed the way we work, it’s as simple as that. Now is a great time to think about your business resilience and what you need to succeed long-term. Take a look at the skills gaps across your team and how these have been impacted by the health crisis. What might you need more of in the future and which areas can you cut back on. Perhaps some of your team would be better placed in different projects, or maybe you need to focus on recruiting more permanent staff to ensure robust business continuity. Talk to your management team about where they see their department changing or growing, too. Their insights can be extremely valuable. 

Rethink your current interview processes

COVID-19 has revealed how outdated current interview processes are and how much time and money can be saved if we make an effort to streamline them. How you refresh them, going forward, will depend on the nature of your business and your workplace culture but it’s well worth considering where there might be bottlenecks in your interview processes or ways you could assess candidates better. Are there screening or aptitude tests you can do earlier on in the process? Or psychometric tests that could help you find candidates that will match your team culture better? As we all know, recruitment takes time and, while you don’t want to rush it, you want to optimize your resources wherever possible. 

Work with specialist recruiters

Following on from the last point - but well worth mentioning again - recruitment takes time and a lot of energy. Sometimes it is just too much to deal with internally. Working with a specialist procurement and supply chain recruiter can help take the headaches out of finding the right candidates for you and your team. Great recruiters have access to the best talent (including some that you won’t find on traditional job sites) and they can handle the heavy lifting for you - carrying out detailed screening, arranging interviews, providing feedback, and so on. All while making sure your candidate not only has the right technical skills but is the best cultural fit too. 

If you would like to find out more about how Bramwith can help you find the best candidates for your business, get in touch today. We are experts in procurement and supply chain recruitment and we would love to help.