Yes, it’s that time of year already! If you want to get executive buy-in on your staffing budget for next year, now is the time to do it. How can you create an accurate forecast for your contingent labor needs?

Start by asking yourself these key questions:

• Where do you plan to get your employees, internally or externally?
• Where will you get your contingent workers, and what types will you need?
• What skills do you expect to need in the coming year? Which are critical?
• How much have you spent on recruiting, both internally and externally, and how much do you realistically need 2015?
• Have you been able to meet your current hiring goals with the resources you have?
• How do you manage external resources, like temporary employees or independent contractors?

To help yourself, you need to plan for what might happen. What if you have a spike in hiring? What if you need to recruit people with specialized skill sets that you don’t already have on staff?  Think about what staffing solutions you’ll need and show key leaders at your organization that you have the answers to these questions.

What Worked This Year?
Now is a great time to go over the 2014 budget and determine what worked and what didn’t. Where was your hiring money best spent in the past year? If a particular method didn’t generate ROI, it’s time to try something new for 2015.

Which Methods Support Your Strategies?
Prepare to defend your request. Describe what it has taken to hire your resources this year, explain what obstacles you’d like to avoid next year and identify what it will take for 2015 to be successful, hiring-wise.

Explain what will happen if you can’t hire enough of certain types of employees on your own, and how understaffing will impact your company’s ability to meet customer needs or grow.

It’s up to you to determine whether you’ll have the money and the time to do all of your hiring on your own or whether an experienced staffing firm can do the job for you more cost-efficiently and in less time. If you’re interested in finding out more about how an established, experienced staffing firm in Jackson can help you reach your hiring and staffing goals within a reasonable budget, do not hesitate to call the recruiting team at Staffers!  We can work with you to help you create staffing success in 2015!