BPR?for Recruiters (First in a Multi-Part Series)

Strategic change within a corporation is prescribed in one of two situations: (1) things are going badly and modifications are necessary or (2) things are going well but the external world is changing. Although provoked by seemingly opposite conditions, there is a common thread here ? pressure. And in recruiting, the pressure is on! The good news is that study after study, and quote upon quote reinforce the importance recruiting has assumed. But, as the perceived value of recruiting has soared, so too has the pressure to recruit well, to recruit fast, to recruit cost-effectively. Take, for instance, the recent Watson Wyatt Worldwide Human Capital Index study based on an analysis of HR practices at more than 400 publicly traded companies. Those study results link ?recruiting excellence? to a 10.1% increase in market value(!). Pressure. And the comments from highly successful business leader Michael Dell that ?bringing in great talent should always be a top priority. It is also the hardest objective to meet.? Pressure. And the CEOs who, when asked about the source of their night terrors, have repeatedly responded that it?s recruiting and retention that worry them most. Pressure. Finding and keeping the right people have emerged as key corporate strategic issues. Recruiting is no longer a purely reactive function; but must now be considered as a significant component of corporate strategy. Pressure. Historically, recruiting has not received intense scrutiny at a strategic level. But?whether rooted in the perception that the good times are rolling/let?s capitalize fast or the more sober view that it?s a war out there/how can we win ? the times, they have changed. The stress the recruiting function is now under has created the need for a high-level re-evaluation of the entire recruiting process. That endeavor is known in the jargon as BPR, Business Process Re-engineering. Corporate recruiters, Human Resource and senior corporate management need to analyze their recruiting methods. What will hasten the recruiting process, provide superior sourcing and deliver it all at low costs? Advances in powerful technology tools have developed concurrent to the labor shortage. For example, the low supply, high demand for talent equation dictates a comprehensive review of candidate sourcing strategies. The Internet has provided an unprecedented new venue to identify and attract candidates. Here, taking the strategic view means understanding how to use that tool most effectively while integrating its use into the entire recruiting process. Haphazard job posting and scattered electronic resume input merely add more layers to an already inefficient process. Corporations are starting to understand how to attract talent to their website by using marketing techniques, but too often they are lacking the follow-through to capture and process that talent effectively. Strategic value is recognized when big picture issues are addressed. Companies need to see beyond the day-to-day applications of Internet recruiting and understand the implications: how can this powerful technology improve their recruiting process. So, before thinking about how to improve sourcing, first ask: How can I improve my process? Emerging opportunities can come in the form of utilizing automated applicant pre-screening, centralized information databases and candidate skills profiles. These kinds of solutions present a strategic response to the prevailing pressure. When businesses are prompted to review their key practices, buzzwords quickly materialize. The lexicon for strategic discussions can include workflow management, just-in-time inventories, change management and business process re-engineering. So how does this apply to recruiting? For recruiters, business process re-engineering (BPR) means changing the existing methods in order to hire the best talent for the task?quickly and economically. As the Human Capital Index study proves, recruiting?s corporate impact is a Big Picture issue. For recruiters under pressure, BPR: Business Process Re-engineering should translate into BPR: a Better Process of Recruiting. Think BPR, Think Better Process of Recruiting!