The recruitment market is extremely buoyant at present with a high demand for experienced procurement and sustainability professionals. In such a market, it is undeniable that there is a struggle to find the right talent. There are numerous aspects to the recruitment process that may be overlooked. It is important that these are acknowledged and most importantly, implemented.

To begin with, think about the deliverables of the offered position and what role this position will take in helping to deliver the procurement or sustainability strategy within an organisation. If this is not decided at the very beginning of writing a job description, it could lead to a significant lack of clarity on what exactly the job entails. Therefore, it is essential to keep in mind the various factors related to those key projects and the potential candidate – on whether the individual is going to lead those key projects, or be a part of delivering them, etc – and to ensure that this has been mentioned in the job description. Additionally, mention the key benefits your organisation offers, its overall culture and why you love working for your organisation. A great place to start is to personalise the narrative by sharing why you like working for your organisation and what keeps you working there.

Once you have decided upon the deliverables of the position and how you are going to communicate them, it is time to think of how you are going to recruit this position. You are either going to follow a direct recruitment process, or go through a talent acquisition or HR team, or through a recruitment specialist. It is crucial to choose the right process that attracts the right applicants since we are currently in a market where there is a shortage of available candidates. Your priority lies in attracting passive job seekers – those who are not actively looking for a new position but who may be open to a good career opportunity if one came along. When you are approaching your recruitment process, make sure you think, “how am I going to appeal to somebody who isn’t actively looking in the market at the moment?” This line of thought additionally helps to decide the marketing strategy; how and where you are going to advertise the job vacancy.

In the current market, recruiters cannot stick to traditional routes of hiring. The process demands that we think creatively and utilise trending methods and platforms. This is essential when you are required to market your vacancy. LinkedIn is a great platform for posting your vacancy, whether you do this via your personal account, your organisation’s page, or traditional job boards. What is important is to recognise which platform acts as the best option to attract procurement and sustainability professionals. Additionally, be sure you do not limit your process to a single medium. Explore other channels through which the vacancy can be advertised. Videos are powerful. It is a fantastic way of advertising your organisation and conveying your company culture, while also introducing the team that this individual is going to be working with, and the wider stakeholders that they may be interacting with.

In a market where it is a struggle to balance the difficulty in finding the right talent while maintaining a visible presence amongst competitors, it is crucial that your organisation has a thorough recruitment process. This will make your opportunity stand out to those passive job seekers, compared to other opportunities in the market.