You have had a great source of candidates for some time. It was easy, cheap and productive. But something happened. You are not even sure what it was. Looking back on it, the level of quality has been dropping for some time. You have come to a full realization of how low the quality has become. The source is no longer productive and needs to be replaced. But, where do you go? How are you going to find a source which will be as great going forward? Recruiters and Temporary Agencies are too expensive. You cannot afford either and therefore; they are not legitimate options.
Organizations do not have enough recruiting sources for each job position. I recommend for each position you should have 10-12 sources. I know that sounds too high. You need that many for the very reason we are discussing. Recruiting sources inherently move around and you need to stay ahead of the curve. The sources should, by design, be diverse in medium; whether they are on the internet, physical job boards or personal relationships. They should be objectively monitored for quantity and quality of applicant. You should have objective criteria set up with thresholds which are measured and reviewed. Fundamentally, you should keep track of turnover and job success for each candidate by source. You should know the overall cost of each source and each line item of cost. Each source will have a different cost make up. I know it sounds like a lot of work. Once the system is set up it takes very little time. The technology in your payroll system will do it for you.
I do not include recruiters and temporary agencies in those 10-12. Regular use of recruiters and temporary agencies are a red flag flying over an unsuccessful internal recruiting operation. The cost of these organizations will be 3 to 5 times higher than a well-run internal recruiting department. Accepting resumes from recruiters/temp agencies is not a bad thing. Depending on them to find your greatest asset is a road to failure. I was involved in an organization which recruited 50-60 Supervisors, Manager, Directors and VPs over a three year period. All but two were hired through the internal recruiting system. The other two were hired through a recruiter because we thought they were the best candidates.
How effective is your internal recruiting system?
