Why You Should Keep Recruiting Even When You’re Not Hiring

Why You Should Keep Recruiting Even When You’re Not Hiring

How long does it take you to find a group of candidates for an open job and ultimately hire a new employee? If you’re like most companies in the United States, it takes you an average of 25 days, according to Dice Holdings. That’s a long time to have to deal with having an open position.

During the time between when someone quits and a new person begins, a lot of strain is put on your team. There are more shifts to fill. If you can’t fill them, your team is left to carry the burden of an increased workload. It’s not a good position to be in, so why wait until the last minute to recruit? Here are a few reasons why you should be recruiting, even when you have no open positions to fill.

Save Yourself Time

Recruiting all year round is a massive time saver. Not only do you avoid having to wait weeks to have qualified candidates find and apply for your job, but you also save yourself a huge burden.

When you recruit all year round, you have more time to review resumes and interview qualified candidates. You can take your time separating the employees who have the skills you need from those that don’t. For example, if you use an app, such as our online scheduling app, to ensure your shifts are filled, you need someone who is familiar with, and eager to adopt, technology in the workplace.

If you wait to review everything at once when you have an open position, you’re stuck with a larger workload than normal. And this comes on top of an already time-strapped team.

Save Yourself Money

As you try to fill an open position, you must recruit your current team to work more hours to help fill the gap that was left. This can quickly put employees into overtime, costing you more.

In addition, you lose productivity, which can cost you money. Happy employees are an average of 12% more efficient than unhappy employees. The more strain you put on your team to pick up the slack of the missing employee, the less efficient they become, costing you money.

So, How Can You Recruit All Year Round?

The benefits are clear, but how can you realistically recruit when you have no open positions to fill? One of the most popular ways companies do this is with a referral program.

Your employees want to work with their friends. They want to work with people they know, like and trust. They’re eager to refer these people to you because they’re hopeful you’ll bring them on board.
Creating a referral program in your workforce helps you attract qualified candidates 365 days a year – even when you don’t have a position to fill. Then, when a position opens up, you’ll be ready to hire strong candidates faster, saving you time and money.