Develop a Strategy
Recruitment strategy meeting
Spending time to set a strategy at the beginning of the hiring process is invaluable to set you up for success. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will schedule an intake conversation immediately before or after the position is posted. It allows you and your Talent Acquisition Partner to align on critical decisions about the process, the profile of the ideal candidate, and strategies for finding the best talent.
The intake conversation will focus on five areas:
- Position information: Key information about the position, including schedule, hours, work location, budget, visa eligibility, etc.
- Target profile: A sketch of the ideal candidate
- The sell: The elevator pitch that can be used to get a candidate interested in the job
- Attraction strategy: The job posting and search tactics that will be used to attract qualified candidates (e.g. internal search, recruitment advertising, active sourcing, diversity recruitment resources, social media, etc.)
- Recruiting process: Steps in the process, timeline, as well as roles and responsibilities of the hiring department and the Talent Acquisition Partner.
You can prepare for the conversation by considering the following questions:
- What characteristics describe your ideal candidate?
- Is there someone on your team that has an ideal profile for the role? What do they have that others do not?
- How difficult, or easy, has this position been to fill in the past?
- Where have you found candidates in the past?
- What are the strategic priorities of your department?
- What projects will the person work on in the next year?
- What would success look like for this person in the next 90-180 days?
- What does a career path look like for someone in this role?
- What are the strengths of your team's culture?
- What else would you tell a candidate to get them interested in this opportunity?
- Who will be involved in the interview process?
Job posting requirements
Regular staff positions should be posted on the internal Careers website for a minimum of five business days. In parallel, or following the initial posting period, jobs can be posted on Northwestern's external Careers website. Verbal offers of employment can only be made after a position has met the required posting period. This ensures an open and transparent process, allows internal applicants an opportunity to apply, and helps to ensure consideration of a broader applicant pool.
Diversity recruiting
Northwestern demonstrates its commitment to diversity and inclusion through its hiring practices. All hiring processes should include good faith efforts with the goal of proactively attracting applicants from diverse and underrepresented groups. Sourcing and outreach for open positions allows hiring managers and search committees to consider qualified candidates who are not currently in their own professional network, and gives decision makers an opportunity to consider a broader range of backgrounds when making hiring decisions.
Effective June 14, 2021, Diverse Candidate Slates are required at Northwestern for open, benefits-eligible staff positions in which an underrepresentation exists. To learn more, please review the Diverse Candidate Slates Policy and FAQs
Northwestern is a federal contractor that actively participates in affirmative action planning in the areas of recruitment and retention. To learn more about Northwestern's affirmative action planning and overall commitment to diversity, visit the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance website.