The Hunt

It’s not always easy to plan ahead. But when trying to secure top talent, it pays off to forecast staffing needs and hire proactively.  Companies that take the time to analyze growth trends and potential turnover can ensure seamless transitions, which are especially vital in leadership.  Use these strategies to proactively plan your hiring needs and attract top talent in 2024. 

Get Ahead of Reactionary Hiring 

At Artemis Consultants, we get many requests to fill positions urgently.  It is extremely stressful for a company to go without full staffing, especially without essential management.  We get requests to find valuable talent for specialized positions who can start a new job right away and sometimes, even have to relocate.  

Reactionary hiring due to sudden turnover may sometimes be necessary, but it isn’t recommended when trying to secure the best candidates for skilled roles. It is worth taking the time to anticipate hiring needs based on well thought out strategies to ensure the best talent pool for the long-term.  

Questions to Ask to Forecast Hiring Needs

As budgets are prepared for the year ahead, ask these essential questions:

• What are my company’s goals for growth in the coming year? 
• Based on growth trends, what specific positions will need filled?
• Does the company have a plan for succession?  If someone in leadership is anticipating retiring or leaving, who will replace this person? “Forecasting changes and staffing updates can support your succession planning,” says Indeed for Employers. “It gives you a method of identifying prime candidates to move into leadership positions as others leave or you need additional managers.”  If you plan to promote from within, who will replace the promoted individual?
• Are there any current departments that are short staffed?  What is the ROI of adding more staff to a specific department?

2024 Trends to Attract Top Talent

In 2024, candidates will continue to want to have the option to work from home at least part of the time.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion will likely still be a consideration. Generation Z candidates will continue to join millennials to be the principal generation in the workforce, so employers should recruit to attract both generations.

Artificial intelligence will continue to play a role in both the types of positions and some recruitment tasks.  This being said, companies should continue to monitor AI tools for possible negative effects on hiring. 

Hiring for hard skills and soft skills is a trend for 2024. “Job postings will focus more on specific skills, including technical and leadership skills, depending on the role, instead of qualifications such as the university the person attended,” reports Staffing Industry Analysts.

Ensure Seamless Transitions

An excellent strategy to forecast hiring and ensure seamless transitions is to keep conversations open.  Make time to meet prospective candidates with valuable skill sets that your company desires even if you don’t have a current opening. The time to invest in these relationships is best used when you don’t have a current opening. 

Do not be afraid to discuss long term career plans with employees. “I have regular discussions with many of our leadership team members asking about their long-term career plans and how our company fits into them. When we had a senior leader leave, I knew it was coming months in advance because of these types of conversations, so we had time to plan a transition and train up another person for their role,” says Kelsey Raymond of Influence Co. Even though some of these conversations can be awkward, it is vital to the health of a company, especially a small business where each staff member represents a higher portion of the company.

Artemis’ Holiday Referral Incentive

Artemis Consultants would love your referrals this holiday season.  If you have had a great experience with our company and refer a new client who hires from Artemis, we will enter your name into a raffle for a $1000 Amazon Gift Card.  The drawing will occur on January 31, 2024. 

Artemis is a leading recruiting partner for Saas, B2B Services and Data companies.  We appreciate our partnerships and look forward to generating new ones.