Imagine this scenario: You have a vacancy in your finance department. To cut back on costs or hasten the vacancy fillup, you hire a fresh graduate instead of an experienced finance professional. A fresher will lack industry knowledge and may expose your company to unintentional mistakes, making your company suffer.
This is a common scenario across many companies in diverse sectors; hence, having the right talent acquisition objectives and process in place is extremely critical.
Finding the right people in today’s competitive job market can be challenging. That’s where talent acquisition recruitment goals come in.
Goal setting for talent acquisition lets you focus your hiring efforts and improve your chances of success. Let’s dive into the top goals to consider!
Talent Acquisition Recruitment Goals
Now that you understand the importance of talent acquisition recruitment goals, let’s explore seven key areas to focus on in 2024. These goals will guide your hiring strategy and help you secure top talent in an increasingly competitive market:
Focus on Skills-Based Hiring
In today’s rapidly changing work environment, focusing on skills-based hiring is one of the smartest talent acquisition recruitment goals you can set. This means looking beyond traditional job titles and academic qualifications to identify candidates with the core skills needed for success.
Why This Matters
- Find Hidden Talent: Focusing on skills opens up a wider pool of potential candidates, including those who may have taken a non-traditional career path.
- Predict Future Success: Skills are often a better indicator of a candidate’s potential to learn, adapt, and thrive in your organisation.
- Reduce Bias: Skills-based assessments can help reduce unconscious biases in the hiring process, leading to a more diverse workforce.
Remember, skills-based hiring is an ongoing process. Thus, regularly review and update the skills you prioritise to ensure you’re always finding the best talent for your organisation.
Elevate Diversity and Inclusion
A diverse and inclusive workforce isn’t just a nice thing- it’s a business imperative. Studies consistently show that companies with greater diversity outperform their competitors in innovation, problem-solving, and overall profitability.
How to Set SMART Goals for DEI initiatives:
- Specific: Don’t just aim for “more diversity.” Set targets for representation across different groups, such as gender, ethnicity, etc.
- Measurable: Track metrics like the diversity of your candidate pool, new hires, and leadership team over time.
- Achievable: Start with realistic targets based on your current baseline.
- Relevant: Tie your diversity goals to your company’s mission and business objectives.
- Time-bound: Set deadlines for achieving specific milestones.
Talent acquisition smart goals examples include increasing the representation of women in management positions by 10% within the next 2 years.
Partner with Marketing to Build Employer Brand
Your employer brand describes how you market your organisation to potential employees. A strong employer brand attracts top talent and makes them want to work for you. This is where partnering with marketing becomes one of the key talent acquisition recruitment goals.
Why Marketing Matters:
- Consistent Messaging: Marketing can help ensure your values, culture, and employee experience are communicated clearly across all channels, including website, social media, job postings, and more.
- Reach a Wider Audience: Marketers have expertise in targeting the right people with the right messages, expanding your candidate pool.
- Showcase Employee Stories: Collaborate to feature authentic employee testimonials that highlight what it’s really like to work at your company.
What does a strong employer brand look like for your company? Set clear metrics such as increased website traffic and positive social media mentions. Plan initiatives like employer branding videos or targeted social campaigns.
Improve Candidate Experience
Candidate experience is how job seekers perceive your company throughout the hiring process. A positive experience is crucial- it directly impacts whether top candidates accept your job offers and how they speak about your company to others.
How to Improve:
- Optimise Job Postings: Make them clear, concise, and highlight your company culture.
- Communicate Proactively: Keep candidates informed about timelines and next steps.
- Provide Timely Feedback: Even rejections should be respectful and offer constructive advice if possible.
- Leverage Technology: Use tools to streamline scheduling, interviews, and communication.
In a competitive market, candidates have choices. So, a smooth and respectful process makes them more likely to choose you. Also, happy candidates become brand advocates, even if they don’t get the job.
And a well-designed process saves time and reduces candidate drop-off. These are all markers for ticking off your talent acquisition recruitment goals.
Harness the Power of AI & Automation
AI and automation tools are transforming the world of recruiting. By harnessing their power, you can streamline processes, improve efficiency, and make smarter hiring decisions- a key talent acquisition recruitment goal for the modern HR team.
How AI and Automation Help:
- Source More Effectively: AI can quickly scan vast candidate pools to identify those most likely to match your open roles.
- Reduce Bias: Automated resume screening can help eliminate unconscious bias by focusing on skills and qualifications.
- Schedule Seamlessly: AI-powered chatbots can handle the back-and-forth of scheduling interviews, saving recruiters time.
- Gather Data Insights: Analyse hiring data to spot trends and optimise your approach.
Identify pain points. Where would automation make the biggest impact? These would be your resume screening and interview scheduling processes, among others. Research platforms that align with your needs and budget. Define how you’ll measure the impact of AI on efficiency, quality of hire, and more. All of these contribute to the successful completion of a goal.
Build Talent Pipelines for Proactive Hiring
Proactive hiring means staying ahead of the curve by building relationships with potential candidates before you even have open roles. This is one of the strategic talent acquisition recruitment goals that ensures you have a pool of qualified individuals ready when needed.
Why Talent Pipelines Matter:
- Reduce Time-to-Fill: Skip the initial sourcing scramble when a position opens, speeding up the hiring process.
- Attract Passive Candidates: Engage individuals who may not be actively job searching but are open to the right opportunities.
- Strengthen Your Employer Brand: Nurturing relationships with potential candidates showcases your company as a desirable workplace.
Platforms like LinkedIn are great for networking and identifying talent in your industry. Webinars, meetups, or even virtual coffee chats connect you with potential candidates.
Use email newsletters or dedicated platforms to stay in touch with promising individuals. Also, encourage employees to recommend talent from their networks.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Data should be at the heart of your talent acquisition strategy. Tracking the right metrics allows you to make informed decisions, optimise your processes, and demonstrate the value of your talent acquisition recruitment goals.
What Data to Track:
- Time-to-Fill: How long does it take to fill open positions?
- Cost-per-hire: What are your average costs associated with each hire?
- Source Quality: Which channels generate the best candidates?
- Candidate Experience Surveys: Get direct feedback from those who go through your process.
- Diversity Metrics: Track representation across stages of the hiring process.
Ask important questions: Where are candidates dropping off in the process? Are your recruiting dollars targeting the right channels? Knowing these can demonstrate the need for new tools or resources.
How 6 Pence Helps
Setting and achieving ambitious talent acquisition recruitment goals takes strategy, resources, and expertise. That’s where 6 Pence comes in. As a leading staff outsourcing provider, we understand the unique challenges businesses face in the competitive markets of Bahrain, UAE, Oman, and Iraq.
Our team of experts can partner with you to streamline your recruitment processes, elevate your employer brand, and implement the latest technology solutions. From staff outsourcing and payroll management to PRO services and recruitment, we offer comprehensive services to support your growth.
If you’re ready to take your talent acquisition to the next level, contact 6 Pence today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a smart goal for recruiting?
SMART talent acquisition recruitment goals for recruiting are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Example: Increase the percentage of offers accepted by qualified candidates.
What are the objectives of talent acquisition?
The primary objectives of talent acquisition recruitment goals include:
- Attracting top talent to fill open positions quickly and efficiently.
- Building a strong employer brand to appeal to potential candidates.
- Creating a positive candidate experience to enhance your reputation.
- Utilising data and technology to streamline and improve the hiring process
What are the objectives of talent management framework?
A good framework aims to achieve these talent acquisition objectives:
- Align workforce strategy with overall business goals.
- Develop and retain top talent within the organisation.
- Make a culture of continuous development and learning .
- Plan for workforce succession to ensure future leadership.
Also Read: How to Use Employee Exit Reasons for Reducing Staff Turnover?
