It is true employers in the U.S. are seeking to fill more jobs. In fact, there is continued hiring activity in accounting, finance, and information technology. Furthermore, we see hiring being active broadly — across industries and company size.
Two-thirds of the HR professionals reported they have “extensive” or “moderate” plans for hiring in 2012.
Although some of the hiring activity has been “pent up” hiring, there is a good amount of hiring due to voluntary moves. When people are confident, they are more willing to take a risk and move to a new job. Equally as important, these companies need to be confident enough to hire someone once they leave.
Filling a role that has been recently left open causes more challenges than hiring for a newly created position. An employer needs to make sure there is a smooth transition of work and with culture.
As confidence is continuing to build with employees and jobs are being left, there are three things to consider when filling a role that was recently left open.
1. Use a network. It’s important to not just post a job description online and interview those that apply. Ask current employees to recommend prospects, use your industry colleagues to see if they know anyone looking. Saturate your existing network.
2. Do more than call references. Use social media to find out more about who you are potentially hiring. LinkedIn and Facebook can tell you more than a resume can. If you know someone that went to school with the candidates, ask those people for a reference.
3. Use a recruiting firm. Today hiring employees based on culture fit is equally as important as job skills. Specialized recruiters look for more than just job skills, they also focus on fit and culture ensuring their hire will not cause turnover.
Replacing a key employee can be a daunting task beyond most hiring activities. It’s important to make sure it’s not just done quickly due to work flow, but also done in a smart way.
Even if you have not experienced employees leaving just yet, now is still a good time to work on your networking to help build an audience for when you do consider bringing people in.
This article originally appeared on Clear Focus Financial Search.