How would YOU Hire 2,000 People?
The recruitment process in general can be a stressful and complex one, but attempting to hire thousands of people? How does a company even begin to go about tackling this feat? Well, I am glad you asked.
Let’s take a look at a few best practices for efficient and organized mass recruitment.
Determine duration: The popular saying goes, “save the best for last,” but in this case, the best and most important practice must come first. When planning to conduct a mass recruiting initiative, companies must first identify whether or not the new hires will be long term or just for a specific project.Duration is key when formulating mass recruitment strategies because how long or short employees are needed will determine how much time and money your company wants to invest in the hiring process. A new worldwide program launch will last much longer than a holiday initiative; therefore, your company may opt to invest more time and resources into recruiting for the longer program versus the shorter one.
Pick your team: Once the duration of the project or initiative is established, you must appoint an individual or group to manage the hiring process. Hiring thousands of people drastically varies compared with a typical hiring scenario. Depending on the company, your HR department may already have its hands full with “everyday” applicants. Selecting a specific team of people to oversee your company’s mass recruitment not only alleviates the workload of the HR department, but allows a core group of individuals to be completely focused on one task. And remember, just because you’re hiring a mass of people does not mean you need a mass of people to do the work. Coordinating a small group cuts down various opinions and ideas of how the work should be done, which can ultimately lead to more productivity.
Generate referrals: When deciding how to spread the word about the future mass of job openings, don’t forget that most times the answer is “right under your nose” –current employees. Internal sourcing is an effective way to recruit because employees are already connected. A company can discover different groups of people to hire based off its current employees’ networks. Adding referral incentives above and beyond your normal programs is a great way to ensure your employees will spread the word and help with recruiting efforts.
Network with colleges: Another option is to collaborate with local colleges and universities. Host on-campus programs and events to promote job openings and have resources on-site for students to apply. Keep in mind the time and length of the project you’re looking to hire for when recruiting students as this option may limit you to only graduating seniors. You can also contact employment agencies and state employment programs to make them aware of when your company plans to hire, how many openings will be available and how people can apply. Doing weekly mass mailings to job portals and posting on job boards are other ways to promote quickly and at a low cost.
Walk-in interviews: If space and time permits, why not try walk-in interviews for one or two days? During the prompt interview session be sure to fully explain the job requirements, duration, compensation and necessary qualifications. Setup a quick method to flesh out unsuitable candidates and inform applicants if you plan to only further contact those who you desire to move forward with the hiring process. Although feedback is always beneficial, it isn’t always feasible when mass recruiting.
Job fairs: Job fairs can also enable you to quickly promote job openings while weeding out unqualified applicants. When finding a suitable applicant, you can invite him or her to the walk-in interview day. Supplement the fairs with social networking sites for added awareness.
Recruitment partners: If time simply won’t allow for you to execute your own mass recruitment initiative, a final option is hiring another company to do it for you (it’s important to do it right: see what happened during the Olympics ). Investing in a company that specializes in mass recruiting, such as Adecco or Mass Resourcing, can be helpful for beginners or companies with extremely large-scale recruiting projects. Assess the pros and cons of handling the work internally versus outsourcing.