by Camden Rendon
Coming into The 20 as the new in-house Talent Acquisition Manager was a big career move for me. I knew I was walking into a company with no formal recruiting department – meaning that I would be building it from the ground up, picking and choosing the best MSP recruiting strategies to bring over. I was hired with the intention of doubling our company in size by the end of the year, while also bringing in strategies revolved around smart hiring and employee retention. With the right people in the right seats, the sky is the limit.
Following are some of the MSP recruiting strategies I recommend for recruiting and retaining top talent:
Smart Hiring
Inbound Recruiting
A lot of corporate recruiters will take a reactive approach to candidates, only reaching out to ones that apply directly with their company. Effective MSP recruiting strategies are more proactive and develop an active pipeline of candidates ready to go. This has helped cut down on time to fill for both our growth and backfill roles. Not only does this help keep a healthy pipeline of open candidates, but it gives me the ability to speak to the people that I think might be the best fit for the roles I’m filling. By utilizing passive candidate sourcing, The 20 has gone from 2-3 hires per month to about 8-10. The initial outreach helps us get in people that we know we want in the seat, as opposed to filling it with just anybody that can do the job.
Three A’s Approach
Ability, aptitude, and attitude are the three A’s to consider when hiring, according to Michael Skok. When I’m interviewing a candidate, I really dig into these three things. My favorite thing to learn about a candidate is their story. I like to know what adversities and challenges they’ve had to face and how they’ve overcome them. Their personal accomplishments. Their goals. I like to know the things that have shaped that person into who they are, because you can learn so much about their likes, dislikes, work ethic, and what makes them tick. A good recruiter should be able to easily read people, which can very quickly distinguish a good hire from a bad hire.
Employee Retention
Programs
One of the biggest projects I immediately suggested was an Employee Referral Bonus Program, where employees get paid if they refer a friend to work with us that gets hired. Employee referrals are proven to reduce the turnover rate (46%, as opposed to 33% from career sites), while also improving the quality of hire. It’s no secret that people are who they surround themselves with, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get like-minded people in the door. We have been able to implement that and have hired 5 referrals (and counting) this year alone!
I also proposed implementing an onboarding process for new hires. Employee onboarding plays a huge role in MSP recruiting strategies and specifically, retention – 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding, and 50% report new-hire productivity, making for a longer-lasting and better all-around hire.
Culture
The best and easiest way to keep employees is hiring good CULTURE fits. The heart of your company is your employee base. When you hire the right people, and all those people are sitting in the right seats within the company, you’ve got your strongest defense mechanism. Employees want to work where they are happy. Now more than ever, people are realizing that more of their day is spent at work than at home. With that, they want to feel like their purpose is fulfilled and they are appreciated. The 20 is huge on making sure people feel welcomed and appreciated – free snacks, nerf gun fights, a casual environment, lots of laughs, and an open-door policy help to keep our employees happy.
Want to join our awesome team? The 20 is hiring! Check out our open positions here.