Fall Checklist To Prepare For The Busy 2019 Hiring Season

It’s hard to believe it, but we are almost into Fall season. Everyone knows the Fall is the perfect time for sweaters, pumpkins and football. But did you also know this is the perfect time of year to start planning for the busy year ahead? It may seem premature given we’re not even into Q4, but planning and preparing early can give you a significant advantage as we quickly approach the end of the year. Try these tips to help you strategize in the weeks and months to come.

Assess, Evaluate And Identify Gaps

We get it — often you’re too busy taking care of the day-to-day needs of the business to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. But it’s absolutely crucial you do so, if you hope to grow the business in the future. What are the latest trends you need to be aware of? By taking time now to evaluate where you are, what next year’s hiring goals are, and assessing the gaps, you can better plan and prepare now for what’s needed in the immediate as well as distant future.

Take Stock Of Your Technology Needs

Recruitment and HR technology, while critical to your job, can get outdated or even obsolete pretty quickly. No one’s saying you should be lured in by the bells and whistles of every new technology that’s touted as the “silver bullet” in the market, it is wise to speak to peers and experts to make sure you’re staying at the forefront of relevant cutting-edge technology instead of falling behind. 

Set Goals, Then Measure Against Them

Set up business goals that are tied to the calendar year, then check in each week/month/quarter to see how you’re faring. Your goals can range from rolling out a new technology to ensuring your team is fully staffed to offering viable learning and development opportunities for your team. You can always adjust your goals based on shifting priorities, but it’s important to have regular check-ins to see how closely you’re aligning with the vision you had set out to accomplish.

Check Out The Competition

It’s easy to pat yourself on the back and celebrate a great quarter. But take this time to see how you stack up to the competition. Consider hosting a day-long workshop for your team to understand who your key competitors are (P.S. – it’s likely these won’t be exactly the same as they were even a year ago); what technology, systems and processes they’re using; how they’re positioning their brand and what that means for you to carve out competitive differentiators; etc. Taking the time to strategize, before you just start running a million miles an hour, will help you channel your efforts in the right direction.

Make Sure You Have The Right Team In Place

You have ambitious hiring goals for 2019, but who is going to help you get there? One of the most critical things you can do this fall is to make sure no gaps exist on your own team. Do you have all the right players in place to enable you to get from Point A to Point B? If you don’t, nothing else you do will matter. Once you have the right team in place and ready to go, make sure they’re invested in the company and aligned on what the goals and what success should look like — then let them loose to do you proud.

Deanna Hartley is a writer and editor who has spent the past decade publishing hundreds of print and digital bylines on topics including job search advice, career development, recruitment, HR and human capital management. Deanna has a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, was formerly a senior editor at award-winning publisher Human Capital Media and a senior copywriter at CareerBuilder. She currently works as a content manager at Aon, a global professional services firm. Her articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Business Insider, Gannett and Workforce Magazine.