The difference between securing a ‘good-enough’ employee and the ‘perfect-fit’ candidate often hinges solely on your recruitment tactics. PointNorth, a consulting firm specializing in strategic communications, community engagement, and organizational development, serves a range of clients, including local governments, municipalities, and educational institutions. With a team of just over 20 people and plans to expand, PointNorth knew they had to create a plan that not only quickly filled the positions they needed the most but crafted a replicable blueprint for future growth.
Here’s where R2R Strategic Recruiting stepped in, turning a recruitment conundrum into a success story worth noting.
The Starting Point for PointNorth
Despite their significant strides in community-focused projects and organizational growth, PointNorth faced a few challenges that threatened to curb its upward trajectory. As the firm grew, the cracks in its foundational recruitment strategies began to show, shedding light on areas that needed some attention.
Limited Resources and Expertise
At the core of PointNorth’s challenges was a lack of internal resources dedicated to recruitment. Though skilled in their respective fields, the team lacked the specific expertise required to undertake effective recruitment on top of their already demanding roles. This gap meant that the recruitment strategies used were often makeshift and not tailored to attract the high-caliber talent necessary for their specialized projects.
Inefficient Traditional Methods
Traditionally, PointNorth relied on conventional job postings to attract applicants. However, this method proved expensive and inefficient, especially in a job market driven by proactive sourcing and strategic outreach. The passive nature of waiting for applications resulted in a prolonged hiring process with less-than-ideal candidates.
Shallow Candidate Pool and Weak Employment Branding
A direct consequence of their outdated methods was a limited candidate pool. PointNorth struggled to reach beyond the immediate circle of job seekers who were actively looking and unaware of the firm’s projects. Plus, the lack of strong employment branding doubled down on this issue, as potential top-tier candidates were often uninformed about PointNorth’s values and the impact of their work on the community.
Costly Recruitment Efforts
With no structured approach or deep understanding of efficient hiring practices, recruitment efforts turned out to be more costly than helpful. The financial burden of investing in widespread job postings without a corresponding return in applicant quality or fit became an unsustainable practice that drained resources and diverted focus from core operational goals.
R2R’s Tailored Solutions
To address PointNorth’s hiring challenges, R2R Strategic Recruiting rolled out a comprehensive set of solutions tailored to enhance recruitment effectiveness and efficiency:
- Direct Sourcing and Targeted Recruitment
R2R introduced direct sourcing strategies, focusing on identifying and engaging talent from specific industries that align with PointNorth’s goals. This proactive approach helped tap into a richer talent pool and ensured that recruitment efforts were precisely targeted. - Enhanced Recruitment Messaging
Understanding the importance of strong employer branding, R2R crafted compelling recruitment messaging that highlighted PointNorth’s impactful work and core values, appealing to candidates motivated by purpose as well as position. - Outreach Campaign
R2R executed a targeted outreach campaign, utilizing both traditional and digital platforms to broaden the reach and engage with potential candidates more effectively, ensuring higher visibility in relevant professional communities. - Collaborative Profile Review and Education
Through a collaborative approach, R2R provided PointNorth with detailed profiles of ideal candidates, enhancing their understanding of the talent landscape. They also educated the PointNorth team on best hiring practices, enabling them to make informed recruitment decisions moving forward. - Rigorous Screening Process
A thorough candidate screening process was established, including detailed candidate summaries, assessment protocols, and interview guidelines to ensure a thorough evaluation of candidates’ skills and cultural fit.
Stellar Results
R2R Strategic Recruiting masterfully revamped PointNorth’s recruitment process, delivering results that are reshaping the company’s future:
- Expansive Talent Acquisition
R2R’s targeted recruitment initiatives not only boosted the candidate pipeline by an impressive 95% but also ensured that high-caliber candidates were in ample supply for critical roles. Leveraging this enriched pool, PointNorth filled significant positions—from Directors of Communications to Senior Project Coordinators and Executive Assistants to the President—with 3-6 top-tier candidates, all reaching the final interview stages. - Streamlined Hiring Cycle
The introduction of targeted strategies and focused sourcing efforts slashed the average hiring time to just 27 days, showcasing a lean and more agile recruitment cycle. - Optimized Resources
The strategic overhaul led to significant savings in both time and resources, allowing PointNorth to redirect these gains toward broader business growth and innovation. - Future-Ready Workforce
With R2R’s deep market insights and recruitment prowess, PointNorth now enjoys access to a wide talent pool of exceptional candidates aligned with the company’s forward-thinking ethos.
PointNorth’s guiding principle, “Live Your North,” encourages a deep alignment of personal actions with core values. Thanks to R2R’s tailored strategies, PointNorth has transformed its recruitment woes into wins, reduced hiring time, increased candidate quality significantly, and kept its current and future workforce on track to keep living its north.
Don’t let recruitment challenges slow down your progress. Join forces with R2R Strategic Recruiting, and let’s start building your future, one perfect hire at a time. Reach out today to get started.
