We’ve made it to the end of another year. Is it just me, or did 2022 feel like a doozy?
Looking back, we processed quite a streak of splashy headlines. Elon Musk bought Twitter, Sam Bankman-Fried tanked FTX, and Bob Iger is back in the House of Mouse. Bleak reports of tech layoffs dominated the news as thoroughly as Taylor Swift’s Midnight album in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. What a year.
As we wrap up Q4, it’s finally time to take a deep, cleansing breath and think forward to 2023.
At the risk of sounding cliché, I’ve been thinking about Wayne Gretzky’s words of wisdom: Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. I think it’s unusually relevant today because where we’ve been this past year was unpredictable. It’s time to look ahead.
Where do you want to be this time next year? What are your goals for the future?
The end of the year is the perfect time to realistically assess your current situation and think strategically about your company’s next steps. To execute the steps, you need to decide what resources you need, and put them in place before initiating them.
The most critical resources to add are the right people. Without the right people, your plan is going to fail. The end of the year is an important time to think through your hiring needs and develop a process to find and keep the right people.
1. Check in with your leadership.
Get everyone together for an end of the year evaluation. Talk through where you’re at in the context of your company’s mission/vision/values. How did decisions this year advance the company’s mission? Were your values reflected in the choices?
What went well?
What didn’t go as super as expected?
What have you been doing that needs to change?
What do you need to stop doing?
Where do your leaders anticipate growth next year? Where will they need additional support? Collectively prioritize and coordinate the company’s hiring needs as it relates to moving your mission forward.
At RecruitGyan, we use a Compass Leadership Model as one of our consulting pillars to help you bring your leadership on board with the company’s mission, and to equip companies to strategically allocate human resources. When leadership is on the same page, it’s easier to make hiring decisions in order of importance.
2. Think through your finances.
As your finance team prepares year-end financials, look at the bottom line, revenue, and costs. What roles can you realistically fund? If you don’t have the funds to hire 200 employees, but you do have the funds to hire 20, that’s going to make a big difference in your recruiting planning.
3. Evaluate your hiring process.
Is it streamlined to quickly bring in candidates and efficiently move them through the process?
Do you have a clear way of assessing candidates to ensure they’re a technical AND cultural fit?
Are your job descriptions mission-driven and convey what your company does and its culture?
Our second consulting pillar is the First Impression System. Now is the time to think through how to incorporate this into your hiring process. Every interaction you have with a candidate will reflect on your company’s mission and culture. Are you ready to mix and mingle? The hiring process is a critical opportunity for top talent to get to know your company, and if they don’t like what they see, they’ll move on to the next party.
4. Invest in your pipeline.
The holiday downtime is the perfect time to continue to build relationships with candidates. Who do you want to connect with next year? For existing candidates, set calendar reminders in 2023 to circle back and follow up with them. Start building lists for potential new candidates.
Bring up the timing of your hiring process. Just because you’re connecting with them at the end of Q4 doesn’t mean that you’re expecting them to transition before the end of this year. But you can set up interviews now for a potential transition in the beginning of next year.
When you’re engaging with candidates, be sure to mention the badly dressed elephant in the room- those tacky layoff headlines. Reassure them that layoffs are a trend that your company doesn’t plan to wear. Talk enthusiastically about the exciting things your company saw this year, and how your company is growing.
Personalize each message- you’re a human, engaging with another equally interesting human, and you model your company culture through your personal interactions. Our Cohesive Culture Model consulting pillar helps you maximize these interactions so that you’re identifying the candidates that are a good match for your company culture.
Ready to think through your hiring strategy? You’ve come to the right place! We’re hosting a live one-hour workshop on maximizing your 2023 recruiting and retention.
I hope you’re able to join us on December 8th! We have a lot to look forward to. If you’re going to skate to where that puck is going to be, it’s time to grow your team!
