The Ultimate Guide: 5 Proven Ways to Identify Your Hiring Needs

Statistics from the Society for Human Resource Management reveal the average price per hire is approximately $4,700. Besides, according to the US Department of Labor, a bad hire can cost at least 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings. For a small company, investing in a misfit threatens the business as a bad hire costs more than you think. 

How can you ensure you hire a suitable person for the organization?

The first and most necessary step is understanding what you and your company need. Clarity in the employee’s tasks simplifies the entire process and helps you find the right fit quickly and efficiently.

Here’s a 6-point checklist to help you identify your hiring needs.

1. Carry out a thorough requirements analysis

Be analytical and unbiased when working through your expectations from a new hire. The best way to do that is to create an in-depth summary of what you are looking for in a candidate. So ensure to: 

• Define the educational qualification, background, and experience of desirable candidates. 
• Put together the necessary hard skills and soft skills. 
• List out the role and responsibilities associated with the position. 
• Establish a clear distinction between desirable skills and must-haves to properly inform job seekers and help your recruiters focus on what matters the most.

2. Develop the JD

The next step is defining the job role with all the details. In this regard, ensure the following:

• The job description has a clearly defined job title, an overview, key responsibilities, daily tasks, and a brief mention of how the job fits within the overall business operation.
• The JD clearly outlines essential, preferred, and desirable attributes, leaving no room for assumptions or ambiguity.
• Provide the ballpark salary range you are willing to provide for a specific job and the benefits your company offers.

3. Dig deeper into salary

This step involves gathering insights from the market and industry trends and knowing candidates’ expectations regarding pay packages. Ensure that your compensation to a new hire aligns with their experience and skill sets and is competitive with industry standards.

Yet, it must also be within your budget, which is where careful financial planning on the employer’s part becomes crucial.

4. Evaluate your existing workforce for skills

Take stock of what your existing team is skilled at, their expertise, and the areas that will benefit from new skills.

Once you identify areas requiring new skills, prioritize roles for recruitment to fill crucial gaps. Focus on finding individuals who can contribute to places where your business could benefit from more expertise.

5. Categorize short-term and long-term hiring goals

Sort roles based on your business needs. If you are looking for talent to fill positions arising from time-bound projects, classify them as short-term hires and use different strategies to build that team. Contractual hires or freelancers could also be good for roles requiring minimal oversight.

6. Finalize the details of your offer

The final step in evaluating your hiring needs is finalizing the details of your offer. Before you begin posting your vacancy on job portals and social media, this is crucial. So make sure to:

• Make your job offer enticing by adding factors beyond salary, such as company culture, team activities, and additional benefits. 
• Gather feedback from recent hires, identify areas for improvement, and adapt to new recruitment trends to streamline the hiring process further.

The final word

Hiring requires some enthusiasm and commitment. More importantly, it requires careful planning and seeing the bigger picture. Remember to always start from scratch. In this case – start your recruitment process by identifying a hiring need.

Want to know more about setting up the perfect HR processes? In addition to HR, benefits, recruiting, and payroll through its PeopleOps, Escalon’s Essential Business Services include FinOps (CFO services, taxes, bookkeeping, and accounting) and Risk (business insurance). Talk to an expert today.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. Escalon and its affiliates are not providing tax, legal or accounting advice in this article. If you would like to engage with Escalon, please contact us here.