Jessica Miller-MerrellDespite the roller coaster stock market and economy, things on the job front just might be on the up and up. In July, job postings and position advertisements increased to levels not seen in three years. Job postings increased from 3.17 million to 3.23 million. On average, a job opening takes one to three months to fill, meaning that job creation should be on the rise by early September or August, just in time for the decline that corporations typically see during the holiday season as many organization’s fiscal year comes to a close.
So what’s changed?
Companies are spending more energy than ever before delving into the bigger picture that includes evaluating expenses, revenues, and payroll. A position considered essential by “some” is now under a careful organizational evaluation process. Many companies have waited for the certainty of Q1 and even Q2 numbers, figures, and expenditures before making the decision to entertain and evaluate posting, promoting, and filling an open position. The June figures are one of the first positive indicators that organizations are beginning to rebuild and grow outside of other economic indicators like end of year sales and consumer confidence numbers. These too returned to pre-recession levels as 2010 came to a close.
Companies considering adding headcount before the close of 2011 must be very calculated and careful in finding the right person for the job. Recruiters like Steve Levy are among hiring managers and recruiters taking precautions to ensure organizations offer the right candidate for the job. Here is a Facebook conversation I had with Steve (@levyrecruits) that shines light on the role certainty plays in making an effective hire for the long term.
Long term hiring lends to lowering costs associated with hiring, recruiting, and a healthy organizational culture like turnover and employee productivity. Common indicators like these can be hard for organizations to evaluate and declare a specific amount well or poorly spent on the hiring process, especially in the short term, because they are often subjective or calculated in many different ways. However we can agree, when you make good hires for the long-term, you drive down the ratio of your recruiting budget to your work output for the position.
While these longer term hiring strategies can create a longer time to fill, they do allow for employees and organizations alike to better understand job responsibilities, position expectations, and what the employee might expect in their first year with an organization. A potential employee that understands the job expectations is much more likely to become a longterm employee producing better evaluations and output.
Learn more about interview tactics and hiring strategies here at the Smartrecruiting blog.
Photo Credit Employees Rights Post and Jessica’s Facebook.
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