Not hiring? You still need a recruitment plan.

When Trey Winthrop, CEO of Bob’s Red Mill, learned that a 30-year employee was thinking of retiring, he started recruiting—even though that post-work date wouldn’t happen for another two years. It’s just part of the company’s ongoing recruitment plan. “We talk to each person who might be coming up on a retirement date to try to figure out what their plans are,” Winthrop says of the whole-grain foods manufacturer and Principal^® client based in Oregon.

Typically, companies search for a new hire when needed. But in today’s hiring landscape, where job openings continue to outpace job seekers, developing an always-on recruitment plan just makes good business sense.

“We have a phrase: Always be recruiting,” says Michael Anderson, head of talent acquisition at Principal. “If you ask any business leader what their most valuable asset is, they’ll say it’s their people. An empty room doesn’t make any money, and people are driving your engine of success. There’s going to be a return on investment for you to have a good recruitment strategy in place.”

Here’s how to develop a recruitment plan to fit your business plans and today’s workforce.

Define (and refine) your brand.

Who are you, and how do you share that with the outside world? That’s key to developing a recruitment strategy, Anderson says. “Candidates are applying to jobs, then researching companies, and to stand out you have to smarten up messaging and the channels where you share that messaging,” he says. “How are you different?”

Keep evergreen job descriptions updated.

Will you always have a head of IT or an administrative assistant? Update these job descriptions continually as part of your recruitment plan. If there’s an opening in a key position, you won’t be left scrambling to figure out duties and skills for new candidates.

Be thoughtful with your recruitment plan.

Mass market job postings only equals mass applicants, Anderson says. Instead, address how you can make positions appealing to the most qualified applicants. Different jobs may suit different channels, too. For example, an open management position may warrant a LinkedIn posting, while a technical spot may best be served by connecting with certified training programs. You can use key pieces of your employee benefit packages to appeal to different generations, too.

Measure past recruiting efforts.

What’s worked—and what hasn’t? That’s important to note (and update) in your recruitment plan.

Involve your team.

At key points in a recruitment plan, you may want to involve business partners, who in turn connect to their own networks of qualified individuals. “A recruitment strategy should detail how you communicate those needs so you can sell what you have,” Anderson says.

Learn where the employee talent is.

With more companies enabling fully remote or hybrid positions, you’re competing for talent not just locally, but nationally. In other words: It’s a candidate-driven market for the moment, and the more constraints you have, the fewer applicants you’ll get.

At Principal, that’s equaled an evolution in recruitment strategy, says Amy Hunold-Van Gundy, vice president of talent management. “Right now, over 75% of all jobs are posted nationally and we are experiencing 40 to 50% of hires outside of the Des Moines area where we’re headquartered,” she says. “That’s provided access to more diverse talent.”

Emphasize your business culture and employee benefit packages.

Part of your recruitment plan is identifying the benefits that are key drivers for potential employees. “What do you have that others don’t?” Anderson says. “Your benefits reflect your corporate culture and show what you value.”

That’s Winthrop’s approach to the company’s culture. “Everybody has a choice, every day, when they get up about what they’re going to do with their life,” Winthrop says. “We want people to go home challenged and happy and ready to go back the next day.”

Refine your interview process.

Anderson’s team leans in to fewer, high-quality interviews with more robust assessments. “We’re asking the same questions that are all job related so we can objectively look at feedback and reduce bias,” he says.

Anderson also suggests using your recruitment plan to figure out how to shorten the time from job posting to job fill. “That gives candidates less time to get a competing offer,” he says.

Detail career growth and job paths.

Future candidates aren’t just interested in the job available, but how to advance, too—be it gaining skills or moving up in responsibilities. At Bob’s Red Mill, Winthrop and team have outlined those very steps as well as formalized a review process. “It really helps people to understand where they are in the organization,” he says—and can help you explain that to future candidates, too.

Focus on onboarding a new employee as part of your recruitment plan.

Recruiting offers no value if you’re not able to keep the people you hire. Anderson points to the first three months as key. “It’s the most important time to shape their whole tenure,” he says. “Get them off on the right foot, make sure they understand your structure, and help them feel like part of the team.”