Four Re-Recruiting Strategies to Increase Engagement

“If you are not recruiting your best people, you’re the only one who isn’t.”

These are the words of Kevin Oakes and Pat Galagan, authors of The Executive Guide to Integrated Talent Management. You make a major investment in recruitment and the candidate experience – as you should; what about the employees you already have and want to hang on to?

The recession is over and it’s become a candidate’s market. Even if your top performers aren’t actively job hunting, they’re constantly being identified, assessed and contacted by corporate recruiters. Don’t take a good thing for granted. By re-recruiting on a regular basis, you nurture relationships with people already in your employ and let them know their value. Re-recruitment is a means to rekindle their excitement, enthusiasm and engagement – redesigning jobs if necessary so your offer tops that of any competitor who may enter the scene.

Why Re-Recruitment is Effective

Re-recruiting employees is a powerful retention and productivity enhancement tactic.

• It keeps top performers fresh and motivated. Even well-treated talent will eventually become bored or seek a change of pace. Falling into a rut can occur as often as every 18 months. New opportunities need to be offered frequently, especially among younger millennial employees.
• It makes internal offers more exciting. Re-recruiting is based on the principle that top innovators want continued stimulation, need to be doing the best work they can and be making a positive impact.
• Unexpected recognition is powerful. Employees are often pleasantly surprised that their company thinks enough of them to recruit them again without the pressure created by an external offer.

Consider these strategies to build your effective re-recruitment process:

Make It a Priority

The concept is simple: Apply the tools of recruiting to your top current employees. Instead of waiting until you have to vie against a competing offer, be prepared to proactively make one of your own.

• Assume you must continually excite top talent. Adopt the premise that unless they’re re-recruited, no one will stay at your company more than 18 to 24 months.
• Make re-recruiting a management duty. Include the successful re-recruitment of a percentage of employees each year as part of managers’ bonus criteria.
• Once is not enough. Re-recruiting needs to happen on a regular basis if you expect people to stay loyal and productive – or stay at all.

Develop a Toolkit

Re-recruiting is challenging for some managers, so provide the tools and support they need to make it happen.

• Include a list of offerings managers can make to individuals based on their unique needs. Possibilities may include telecommuting, flex time, tuition assistance or the option of picking their own projects.
• Consider an internal online re-recruiting forum. Use it to exchange ideas and share challenges among managers and colleagues.
• Provide talking points. Managers may need a script to guide them through re-recruitment discussions.

Identify Flight Risks

Develop a list of indicators that can help managers assess which employees are at risk of leaving the company. Then you can prioritize your efforts with a focus on those individuals.

• Pinpoint precursors to a resignation. These may include the length of time an employee has spent at previous jobs, the number of frustration or excitement factors associated with their present position, or whether or not they are overdue for a raise or promotion.

Create Personalized Retention Plans

Because you’re targeting only top performers, you can afford to formulate individualized re-recruitment plans. HR should work with managers on plans for each targeted employee.

• Know their pain points and what makes them tick. Each plan should center on the individual’s personal goals, motivators, intermediate success measures and who is accountable for each step.

Who better to partner with as you perfect your re-recruitment process than an experienced professional recruiter? To learn more about the options available to you, contact the executive search consultants at BrainWorks today.