Strategies for overcoming recruitment challenges in 2019

Talent issues are top-of-mind for business leaders in 2019. Despite concerns for the economy, 65 percent of the 1,257 CEOs included in the Q4 2018 Vistage CEO Confidence Index report said they planned to increase hiring this year. This was a shade lower than the recent 15-year peak of 71 percent, but current recruitment intentions are still greater than at any other time recorded by our survey since 2003. CEOs of small and midsize businesses rank decisions about talent higher in importance than decisions about customers and financials.

With the United States almost at full employment and wages rising, hiring won’t be easy during the next 12 months. CEOs are employing a variety of strategies to cope with this challenge, such as boosting wages (64.6 percent), adding employee benefits (36.1 percent), investing in equipment to automate tasks (35.2 percent) and allowing employees to work remotely (25.1 percent).

However, there are other strategies to consider. Here are two that I recommend.

1. Work smarter, not harder, on talent sourcing
One of the most effective ways to source new talent is through employee referrals. Engage your existing workforce in the recruitment process by starting a referral program that provides incentives to employees to help bring the best people on board. Start an open conversation with all employees about how you reward effort to address any questions about compensation.

Professional networks can also be a valuable source of top talent. Use them to target both people who are actively seeking new roles and those who are happy working elsewhere, even if that’s with your competitors.

2. Get creative with professional development
Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of the CEOs we surveyed recognized employee development will be key to their talent-management strategy in 2019. People are a business’s number-one asset. Giving them room to grow in the organization is one of the most effective ways of making them feel more valued, which can increase their productivity and make them stick around longer.

But don’t stop at training workers to be better in their current roles. Give them opportunities to develop communication, collaboration and leadership skills, and recognize their achievements with managed career progression. Connect senior leaders to junior team members through a mentorship scheme, too, and you’ll soon have a strong talent pipeline.

This article first appeared on Inc.com

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