Kyle Samuels is the founder & CEO of Creative Talent Endeavors (CTE) and an iconoclast in the world of executive search and HR consulting.
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When digital music streaming giant Spotify announced in early December 2023 that it would eliminate about 17% of its total workforce, CEO Daniel Ek was surprisingly candid about the reason behind the cuts. In his memo, he told a familiar story we've heard repeatedly over the last 18 months or so. Expecting a post-pandemic business boom, the company built an aggressive expansion strategy that was bolstered by easy-to-come-by, low-interest investment capital. Spotify hired and hired and hired some more, all in anticipation of years of seemingly limitless growth. But after facing a very different reality, the company now needs to significantly reduce its costs to ensure long-term stability.
This has been a common outcome recently. Despite a strong economy and relatively healthy job market, companies are clutching their pocketbooks a little tighter. As a result, the pressure on managers to make efficient hiring decisions is high. Yet, in my work as a recruiter, I see many organizations using the same approach they'd used in recent years and expecting different results.
If you’re ready to change your hiring playbook and make the most of your resources, here are a few simple strategies that can make a world of difference.
1. Begin with clear, realistic expectations for the role.
It’s important to level-set at the start of a recruiting process. All too often, executives and hiring managers paint a “pie-in-the-sky” vision for a role they’re looking to fill. These idealized expectations actually make the hiring process more difficult, and they can be a drain on organizational efficiency, which can lead to higher rates of employee turnover.
A new hire can't magically fix problems you’re experiencing when they don't know exactly what they're going to face. So instead of being vague, set three to five measurable and attainable goals that can drive the role's description and are aligned with the larger organizational strategy. Spelling out these goals helps you determine the most necessary functions of the position and provides visibility into how the new hire can move the needle.
Though it might be tough to accept that your wish list is longer than what's immediately attainable, you can use any remaining “nice-to-haves”—duties that go beyond the core of any given role—as great growth opportunities for your new hire.
2. Develop a vision for smarter team expansion.
Lean or understaffed teams are a common occurrence in the modern workplace. Individuals are often carrying the workload of multiple roles, either because there are fewer staffing resources available or because of extended staff outages, such as maternity leave.
While small, nimble teams can accomplish big goals and hit benchmarks, extended periods of understaffing can negatively impact work quality and employee morale. That’s why it’s important for managers to have a direct understanding of their teams’ responsibilities. If you don’t know when teams have maxed out their bandwidth, you won’t know how to expand them in a savvy way.
Create lists of your employees’ responsibilities and mark anything that stretches beyond their capacities. Meet with your staff and ask for their input on how a new hire might help eliminate certain pain points or bottlenecks. That way, when more staffing resources become available or it’s time to make a new hire, you’ll be better equipped to redistribute tasks and build a more balanced working environment.
3. Step back and re-evaluate when something isn’t working.
You’ve posted your job opening, and there’s an influx of résumés, but none seem to match what you need. Before resigning yourself to frustration or an underwhelming interview process, try reviewing the job title and description. Consider whether the current applicants actually have relevant, translatable skills and experiences that could lead them to success in the role.
The answer might be still "No," and in that case, it could be time to remove the job posting and retool it. Making these adjustments doesn’t necessarily mean compromising the role’s core functions. It can be as simple as using more tactical wording that matches similar openings in the marketplace. This might also be the moment to enlist the help of a recruiting agency or talent acquisition specialist. These experts can assist you in publicizing your open role and reaching your ideal candidates.
As Spotify and many other companies have realized, a fickle, unpredictable economy can have an outsized impact on corporate resources and create massive, life-changing outcomes for employees. Being more deliberate and realistic about your hiring priorities can do more than stretch your staffing dollars. It can help your company steer clear of situations where drastic corrective actions such as layoffs might be necessary to keep the business afloat.
Whether you’re recruiting for a newly created position or filling a key vacancy, taking the time to envision the role and take stock of teams' most pressing needs can help you achieve stronger, more lasting outcomes for your organization and the people who work there.
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