While there are many unknowns in business and things we simply can’t plan ahead for, your employees are always going to be an important piece to the puzzle that keep the lights on. Whether you have practical goals to increase revenue and hire new staff or you are drafting an ambitious ten year plan, it’s in your best interest to be proactive and strategic about your future staffing needs. Having a clear understanding of who does what and how that may fluctuate in the near future will prevent staffing shortages and give your HR department or recruiter plenty of time to find the talent you need to keep pushing forward.

Look for Gaps

Thoroughly assess the workloads of your current employees along with their expertise, education and performance. Are their skillsets being used effectively? Do people have too much idle downtime? Look for gaps between current needs and staff to see if there are positions you should hire for in the near future. Have a clear sense of your employees’ capacity to know if you can hand off more work to them or if you need to hire someone new altogether. When it comes to recruiting leadership, look within once again to see if you have a capable employee fit for the role; it’s always preferable to promote internally if you can.

Assess Industry Trends

Take stock in the current climate of your industry to see if business is on the up and up. If it’s going to be a slow year, or if you actually need to cut back on expenses, hiring may be out of the question. Keep your options open however, as you never know when opportunities may arise that require a new team member.

Hire the Hybrid Employee

Kill two birds with one stone and consider hiring a hybrid employee. Hybrid employees either have experience in multiple areas or have great technical and soft skills. They are a quick but solid fix to staffing needs, especially when they can lend a hand in multiple departments. These nimble employees are highly sought out but luckily we’re seeing more millennials and recent grads with diversified resumes. You may be surprised to find some hybrids already on your team or that they can become one with minimal training and education.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.