May 3, 2011 in Tips & Guides by Dawn Williams

Why building bench strength is a good strategy

Why building bench strength is a good strategy

Often in recruiting we are reactive; that is we wait until there is an opening then we begin to search. In an ideal world we would be able to anticipate the departures and have someone waiting in the wings ready to jump in.

Building bench strength is a great way to be ready faster for those unscheduled departures. Some companies require that their human resources folks interview whether there are open positions or not. As a hiring manager you will have a great sense of what is going on in the talent market and you will be able to benchmark your own people.

In this age where in some industries baby boomers make up a large percentage of the work force, succession planning has become the “darling du jour”. Interviewing when there are no open positions or doing exploratory interviews will help you identify gaps in your succession planning. This should include evaluating both inside and outside candidates.

Before embarking on this, you should have a good understanding of the long term strategies of your company. How long will it take to get to where you need to get to and which people are needed to help you get there? Who do you have now who could help you get there? It is at this point that you also evaluate outside candidates.

In some companies and industries, the turnover in sales is quite high. This could be because it is company policy or there is a problem. If you work for one such company, you can never rest on your laurels, you must always be looking.

Companies have turned to very creative ways to find talent; job fairs, social media, speed recruiting and on-campus recruitment to name a few. Encouraging older more experienced workers a chance to mentor younger less experienced people is a great way to help your more flight-risk people stay put and develop their skills.

As Alex Baldwin put in in Glengarry Glen Ross “ABC-always be closing”. This is a sure fire way of keeping on top of the market, candidates and your team.