Think about your favorite sports team. Whether it’s football, basketball, or hockey, there’s always a group of players on the sidelines – ready to jump at a moment’s notice. Why? Because no team can afford to be caught off guard when a key player is injured or needs a break. If they don’t have a backup, they’re at a major disadvantage.
The same goes for your business. When a key employee leaves or when a new project demands more people, do you have someone ready to step in? Or are you scrambling to find a replacement while your team is left overworked and struggling to keep up?
Most businesses don’t have a hiring bench. They go through the hiring process, make a decision, and move on – leaving all the other strong candidates they didn’t hire behind.
But what if you had a system that kept those promising candidates engaged, so when the time came, they were eager and ready to join your team?
It’s time to start build a hiring bench.
How to Build a Hiring Bench
Just like a sports team has a structured system for scouting and training new talent, your business needs a repeatable hiring process that ensures you always have great candidates waiting in the wings.
Here’s how you do it:
- Keep the Best Candidates in Play: Most companies reject candidates when they don’t land the job. Instead, build a hiring bench in your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for those who didn’t make the final cut, but still show potential. These are the people you want to stay in touch with, so when the right opportunity arises, you can bring them on board quickly.
- Stay Connected With a Company Newsletter: Once you build a hiring bench, you need to keep your candidates engaged. A monthly company newsletter is a simple way to maintain interest and excitement about your company. Share wins, employee success stories, and new opportunities. Let them see what they’re missing out on, so when the time comes, they’re eager to jump in.
- Automate Outreach and Engagement: Use email automation to keep your bench engaged. Send a series of short, valuable messages introducing them to your culture, team, and growth opportunities. This can include:
- Employee testimonials
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Career path highlights
- Updates on open roles
- Keep Rookies in the Pipeline: Many companies turn away entry-level candidates due to a lack of experience. But just because they aren’t ready now doesn’t mean they won’t be in the future. Instead of rejecting them outright, add them to your bench and stay in touch. Over time, as they gain experience, they’ll be primed and ready to join your team.
- Reach Beyond Job Seekers: According to research, over half of employees are open to switching jobs at any given time, but only a small fraction are actively browsing job boards. If you want to attract top talent, you need to go beyond job postings and start finding the passive job seekers. If they’re not ready to make the move now, add them to your hiring bench!
By staying in touch, you keep your company top of mind for candidates who might not be actively job hunting, but are open to the right opportunity. These are the elusive passive job seekers.
It’s Time to Build Your Bench
If your hiring process starts from scratch every time you need to hire, you’re wasting time, money, and energy. Instead, build a hiring bench that keeps top candidates engaged and eager to join your team when an opportunity arises.
A well-managed bench makes sure you’re never caught off guard. It keeps your business running smoothly, your hiring process efficient, and your team strong and confident about the future of your company.
Start building your bench today because the best teams always have great players waiting on the sidelines, ready to jump in. Not sure how to get started? Let Core Matters show you how.
