8 Effective Steps For Lateral Hiring

Lateral hiring is a process of finding and recruiting professionals who are already employed in a similar position, and such professionals are deemed passive candidates and are not actively looking for jobs.

The Benefits of Lateral Hiring

1. Time Reduction

Lateral hiring is the process of finding employees that can do a similar job to one that is vacant, but with experience and background. Hiring a new employee is time-consuming, but hiring people from a similar role from the same or different industry is a simpler process of hiring because the candidate is already familiar with the job and the company.

2. Networking

These candidates are not easily available on job boards, as they are only ready to leave the organisation if they receive the right offer from the new company. When people connect with each other, it enhances the network. Lateral hires already have their own set of established networks of connections that can benefit your company in the long run.

3. Expertise in Different Industries

The person might be working in a different industry and has different exposure that helps the recruiting company to utilise their knowledge, as well as the skills they have. This can lead to innovation and bring new methods to the organisation.

4. Increases Innovation

Lateral hiring brings in a wealth of knowledge and experience that benefits the organisation immediately. The person has the ability to bring skills and knowledge from different work settings. Innovation helps produce better productivity to improve business outcomes.

5. Skills and Knowledge

Lateral hiring helps bring in the right amount of skills and experienced candidates to the organisation. Lateral hiring is a career change where an individual mostly moves from one position to another. The move does not guarantee any changes in the role. As a result, their learning may be limited.

8 Effective Steps For Lateral Hiring

1. Define the Industry

The first step to lateral hiring is to define the industry that the organisation deals with. Establish your organisation’s goals and determine how the lateral hire can help to achieve them.

Clearly understand the type of industry they work in, the challenges they may face once they join the organisation and the steps to tackle them. These people are not found in the talent pool, or on job boards.

2. Define Critical Skills Required for Companies’

Define the skills and experience needed for the vacant role. This helps to identify the right person for the role. Make sure to define the role clearly, and list out the specific skills and experience that are required.

3. Identify Prospects

Identify potential prospects your organisation can approach to fill the vacant position. Start preparing the right offer for the prospects to convince them to join your organisation. 

4. Research Individuals’

Pre-screen the shortlist of candidates from a pool of candidates. Recruiting is the process of attracting and screening candidates for multiple roles within the company. The potential candidates may be working somewhere else, and might not have any intentions to move to another company. So, do the necessary research on whether they may be willing to join your organisation.

5. Make Contact

Make contact with the prospects. This is a process of hiring an expert for a job and requires extensive research on whether they could be the right fit for the organisation. With proper negotiation skills, you can successfully hire a valued member of the organisation.

6. Meet Up

Meet with the potential candidates and communicate with them regarding their interest in the role that you’re offering in the organisation. These candidates are usually from other organisations that are considered top leaders in the field.

7. Negotiate

Negotiate with the person you choose to laterally hire, and settle the terms and conditions. Structuring the lateral hiring process can significantly improve the efficiency of the hiring process. This process is mostly done for higher-level positions. It is to acquire talent from other firms and requires several formalities and the right contract offer to pursue them.

8. Offer

The final step is to make a decision and offer the job to the candidate. This can be done by review of their application and conducting interviews with them. Be sure to communicate the organisation’s terms and conditions and ensure that the candidate is happy with the offer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does lateral hiring help the organisation?

Lateral recruitment can fill the vacant positions in the organisation that are difficult to fill. This type of recruitment can be used to fill positions that require a specific set of skills and experience. It provides the addition of talent to the firm and increases the efficiency to hire experience in the firm.

2. How does lateral hiring work?

Lateral hiring is a process of hiring employees who are working for another organisation in a similar position. This type of recruitment helps to fill positions that are difficult to fill that require specific skills or experience. 

3. What is sourcing in recruitment for lateral hiring?

Sourcing is searching for qualified job candidates for planned open positions. It is not the reactive function of reviewing resumes and applications sent to the company in response to a job posting, or pre-screening candidates.

4. When do companies decide to recruit from other external sources?

A lateral hire has a positive impact on the organisation. These lateral hires are hired from outside of the organisation. This can help them to stay competitive, continue to grow and develop, and attract top talent.

Closing Thoughts

There are a number of advantages to choosing lateral hiring methods over the traditional hiring process since lateral hires bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. This can have a positive impact on the organisation to provide them with new perspectives, ideas, and skills.

Lateral hiring can be extremely beneficial to an organisation in both the short and long term. This is important to fill positions that require specific skills. It can also be used to deal with talent shortages or not having the time to get new hires to speed up what needs to be done. The end goal is to find the best candidate for the job. 

LogicMelon

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