How to Create a Recruitment Plan That Works

A solid recruitment plan is essential for attracting top talent in today’s competitive job market. By outlining clear goals, setting a budget, and planning realistic timelines, companies can streamline hiring and connect with the best-fit candidates. Having a strong plan in place also helps avoid rushed decisions and ensures quality hires.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to make an effective recruitment plan, covering everything from identifying hiring needs to choosing the right channels for finding candidates. With the examples and tips below, you’ll be ready to create a plan that works for your organization.

What Is a Recruitment Plan?

A recruitment plan is a guide that helps HR teams find, attract, and hire the right people for their organization. It’s like a roadmap that covers what skills and roles are needed, where to find qualified candidates, and the steps involved in hiring them.

For HR teams, having a plan makes the hiring process smoother and more organized, helping save time and resources. For companies, it ensures each new hire aligns with company values and goals, reducing turnover and improving team success. A good plan also helps anticipate future hiring needs, adjust strategies as needed, and consistently find the right talent.

How to Make a Recruitment Plan

Building a recruitment plan starts with outlining clear steps and choosing effective strategies to find the best talent. Let’s walk through the steps to create a plan that works.

1. Assess the Current Situation

In the Philippines, the job market has seen notable growth, with sectors like retail, education, BPO/ITES, and healthcare expanding significantly. Annual hiring increased by 10% from December 2022 to December 2023, according to Foundit. This upward trend suggests rising demand for skills in these sectors, making it critical for organizations to stay competitive by proactively assessing their workforce needs.

The first step in any recruitment plan is understanding the current and future needs of your organization. Begin by identifying skill gaps and pinpointing which roles need immediate attention versus those that may arise in the future.

In addition, job seekers today look for flexibility, clear responsibilities, and opportunities for professional growth and cultural alignment. Assessing these expectations allows you to create a recruitment plan that draws in candidates who fit well with your team and long-term goals.

Example: Suppose your company plans to expand its customer service department to support a growing client base. Conducting a skills gap analysis could reveal a need for candidates with bilingual skills and experience in digital communication. Recognizing this early lets you focus recruitment efforts on sourcing candidates who can support your evolving needs, ultimately strengthening your team’s ability to scale effectively.

2. Develop a Multi-Faceted Recruitment Plan

A diverse recruitment strategy boosts your chances of connecting with the right candidates by using multiple recruitment channels. Recruitment sourcing strategies can include engaging with job boards, social media, internal referrals, and career fairs, each targeting a unique audience and type of candidate. With a balanced approach, you can effectively reach both active and passive candidates who align with your company’s needs.

Tip: Building a pipeline of candidates for high-demand roles is a great recruitment plan example that can significantly reduce time-to-hire. If you know that certain roles, like sales or engineering, tend to open up regularly, establishing a steady source of candidates beforehand helps you fill these roles quickly when needed.

3. Craft Job Descriptions for Better Alignment

Job descriptions are more than just lists of duties; they’re an introduction to your organization and a way to ensure the right candidates apply. When job descriptions are too broad or generic, they can attract irrelevant applications, slowing down your recruitment process. Clear, specific descriptions help filter applicants effectively, ensuring candidates meet the necessary qualifications and are a cultural fit.

Tailor your descriptions by listing essential skills, qualifications, and cultural attributes relevant to the role and company. Be sure to outline the team dynamics, expected Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and targets, and opportunities for growth to engage potential hires.

Example: As a recruitment plan sample, consider the job description for a marketing role. Mention specific skills, such as SEO knowledge or experience with content strategy, rather than broad terms like “marketing experience.” This clarity gives applicants a realistic view of the role and attracts candidates who meet the requirements.

4. Build Ideal Candidate Profiles

Once you’ve revised your job descriptions, refine your skills gap analysis to create an ideal candidate profile. By defining the skills needed for each role, you can avoid over-filtering or under-targeting candidates. This step also allows you to visualize your hiring needs by understanding which capabilities are required in the short and long term.

A detailed profile includes hard skills, soft skills, experience levels, and personality traits that align with company culture. This framework not only guides your search but ensures that your hires add value to the team.

Example: As another recruitment plan sample, suppose your company is building a finance team to enhance budgeting and forecasting capabilities. A skills gap analysis shows a need for financial analysts with strong skills in financial modeling, advanced Excel proficiency, and familiarity with ERP systems like SAP.

In the ideal candidate profile, you might also include attention to detail, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills for presenting insights to non-financial teams. Additionally, specifying a minimum of three years of experience in corporate finance or accounting helps target candidates who can seamlessly support financial planning and decision-making as the company scales.

5. Allocate a Realistic Hiring Budget

Setting a budget helps streamline the recruitment plan by allocating resources to the most effective channels. When creating a hiring budget, consider costs associated with job postings, recruitment events, background checks, and any recruitment software you might use.

Balancing cost with quality is key, particularly for small to medium companies that may benefit from budget-friendly solutions. Planning allows you to focus on efficient and impactful resources without overspending.

Example: Calculate the cost of posting on job boards, using referral bonuses, and implementing recruitment software, if needed. This way, you can optimize your budget, ensuring you’re getting the best candidates without stretching finances.

6. Prepare a Headcount Plan and Anticipate Future Hiring Needs

Having a headcount plan is another recruitment plan example for managing growth and budgeting appropriately. Assessing the previous hiring trends can predict future needs, allowing you to visualize hiring activity and avoid hurried decisions or mismatches. Outlining which departments will need new hires over the coming months or years lets you prepare a structured hiring schedule. This step is especially useful for larger organizations or those experiencing rapid growth.

In a headcount plan, consider forming hiring teams with members from HR, the requesting department, and senior management to improve decision-making. These teams bring diverse perspectives, which can enhance candidate quality and selection.

Tip: Start your headcount plan by holding a kick-off meeting for each hiring team to establish clear roles, timelines, and expectations. This shared understanding helps streamline decision-making and ensures everyone is aligned on recruitment priorities.

7. Set Realistic Timelines and Key Milestones

Breaking down the recruitment plan into phases with realistic timelines and milestones keeps your plan on track. Set deadlines for stages like sourcing, screening, interviewing, and onboarding, ensuring each has enough time for quality assessment while avoiding unnecessary delays.

While it’s important to have a timeline, be flexible to accommodate unexpected adjustments. Clear timelines help both HR teams and candidates understand the expected hiring duration, improving communication and reducing candidate uncertainty.

Example: Outline a four-week timeline where sourcing takes one week, screening and interviews take two, and onboarding is completed in the final week. Communicate these expectations to all stakeholders to keep the process moving.

8. Coordinate the Recruitment Plan and Manage the Screening Stage

Organizing the recruitment process is critical for keeping everything on track, especially when dealing with high applicant volumes. Structured recruitment software can simplify tracking candidates, ensuring everyone is consistently moving forward through each stage.

For the screening process, develop criteria to evaluate both skills and cultural fit, setting up structured interviews and assessments. This approach not only saves time but ensures each applicant has an equal opportunity to succeed, ultimately improving hiring quality.

Tip: Implement an automated system to manage screening and follow-ups, reducing manual tasks and ensuring each candidate is treated fairly. This keeps everything organized and allows HR teams to focus on interviewing the most qualified candidates.

9. Partner with Networks for Vacancy Posts

Using networks is one of the most effective examples of a recruitment plan that broadens your reach and connects you with top candidates. Platforms like GJobs powered by PasaJob gives employers access to a larger pool of talent in the millions, making it easier to source candidates through a trusted,verified network of GJobs users and referrers.

The wider network reach helps you fill roles faster, even for high-demand positions. GJobs powered by PasaJob is particularly cost-efficient, a benefit for small to medium companies looking to optimize recruitment without overspending.

Example: Alternatively, if your company needs to fill an urgent technical role, PasaJob’s Recruitment Circle can significantly improve your chances of finding skilled candidates quickly. Combining job boards and network referrals allows you to cast a wide net, enhancing recruitment efficiency and quality.

10. Monitor Progress and Adjust the Recruitment Plan

Regularly monitoring recruitment progress is essential to understand what’s working and what’s not. Track metrics like time-to-hire, applicant conversion rates, and retention rates to get a clear picture of recruitment performance. Analyzing these metrics allows you to refine and improve your plan year-over-year.

Tip: Schedule periodic reviews to evaluate recruitment channels and overall strategy, making adjustments based on data. This approach improves future hiring outcomes and keeps your recruitment plan responsive to changing needs.

Recruitment Plan Sample

Here’s a recruitment plan example for a restaurant company that can serve as a helpful guide in crafting your own plan. While this example provides a solid foundation, it may need adjustments to align with your company’s specific standards and goals.

Recruitment Goals

• Hire six new employees in the next four months to launch our new evening dining service.
• Reduce average hiring time to two weeks over the next year.

Positions to Fill

• Two kitchen assistants: Part-time (20 hours per week) to support kitchen operations.
• One sous chef: Full-time (40 hours per week) to replace Joey Cruz, promoted to head chef.
• Two service staff: Part-time (25 hours per week) to manage the evening service.
• One marketing assistant: Remote part-time role (10 hours per week) to manage social media and boost visibility.

Recruitment Plan Target Candidates

We’re seeking candidates who are:

• Hardworking and committed
• Friendly and customer-focused
• Adaptable to changing shifts
• Team players with positive attitudes
• For the sous chef: Experienced in a high-volume restaurant environment (at least one year), with a strong knowledge of culinary techniques, food safety standards, and kitchen management; culinary certification is a plus
• For the marketing assistant: Experienced in Facebook and Instagram social media marketing; any digital marketing certification is a plus

Talent Sourcing Methods

We’ll reach potential candidates through:

• Sponsored job posts on local job boards
• Posts on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) and sponsored ads
• Referrals from current employees, with a PHP 3,000 bonus for each successful referral who stays for at least six months
• Walk-in advertisements at the restaurant entrance

Applicant Screening Methods

We plan to screen applicants with the following methods:

• Interviews conducted by a panel including the general manager and head chef
• Automated email updates to notify all candidates of their application status

Estimated Recruitment Plan Budget

We estimate a recruiting budget of PHP 190,000 for the upcoming year based on our planned hires. The budget breakdown is as follows:

• Job advertising: PHP 15,000
• Employee referral bonus program: PHP 18,000
• Recruitment technology: PHP 5,000
• Onboarding and training: PHP 155,000
• New employees’ salaries and benefits cost: PHP 1,131,000

Build a Recruitment Strategy That Delivers

Creating a recruitment plan that truly works means taking it step-by-step. With a clear roadmap, you’re better positioned to find job applicants who meet your requirements and fit seamlessly into your team.

Partnering with platforms like GJobs powered by PasaJob opens the door to a wider, verified talent pool, streamlining your process and enhancing the quality of every hire. With a tailored plan in place, you’re set to attract the talent your team needs.

Ready to make each hire count? Let’s put these strategies to work. Explore PasaJob today to build a successful workforce!

Disclaimer: GJobs is a proprietary brand of GCash.