Nichola Davies, one of the Managers at Headstar, reflects on her 14 year experience in internal recruitment, this time focusing on how, try as you might, it’s impossible to do it all. So, perhaps now is the time to get a bit more strategic.
Internal recruitment and Talent Acquisition teams are some of the busiest people in businesses. You might not believe it, but it is true. And I’ve been there myself, for 14 years I headed up internal recruitment teams for some very demanding organisations.
So, I’ve seen it myself, quite simply, TA teams are too busy to do it all.
What does your current workload look like?
To those in internal recruitment, just pause for a minute and think about these questions:
- How many vacancies are you working on?
- When did you last look at your interviews, your recruitment policy, the business EVP or the employee survey feedback?
- Are you trying to fill senior or niche roles?
- Have you got time to properly support your team?
It. Is. Not. Possible.
How can you think strategically instead?
I’ll hold my hands up; In my TA days, I was anti-agency. Recruitment agencies were not going to happen and didn’t need to happen.
Why outsource recruitment when I could do it all myself?
Until one day I realised. I couldn’t do it all.
Or at least, not well. And was it really worth trying to kill myself in the process?
So, instead I realised that instead I needed to think strategically. What parts of my workload did I need to get more comfortable with outsourcing?
I’d encourage you to think about it too. What are you and your team brilliant at delivering? What do you know inside and out? What are the volume roles that you recruit for day in day out?
I’d recommend that you focus your, and your teams, attention on those areas of your internal brilliance. That’s where you’re going to see the most success and really make a difference to your organisation.
Then, be strategic and partner with a specialist recruitment agency to lead on the technical or ‘difficult to fill’ roles leaving you to focus on what you are great at delivering on.
Remember, thinking strategically and using external support when you need to can transform your recruitment process and overall efficiency. By focusing on your strengths and partnering with specialists for the more challenging roles, you can achieve better results without overwhelming your team.
So, take a step back, evaluate your workload, and think about what strategic choices you could make to work smarter, not harder.
About the Author
Before joining Headstar, Nichola Davies has worked in internal Talent Acquisition and Recruitment teams since 2010. Working her way up from Resourcer to Global Head of TA reporting directly to the board, she has experience in a variety of industries including manufacturing, hospitality, translation and transportation. Nichola’s approach has always been to find the best fit for the business and not just a ‘bum on the seat’ to fill the vacancy.
