How to Create a 12-Month Recruitment Plan for Your Organisation

The start of a new year is the perfect time to take stock and set yourself up for success. For HR teams and hiring managers, a clear, well-thought-out recruitment plan will be your roadmap to building the right team at the right time. The good news is that creating a 12-month recruitment plan doesn’t have to be daunting. It just needs to be intentional, strategic, and adaptable.

Here’s how to map out your recruitment strategy for the year ahead.

1. Reflect on the Past Year

Before looking forward, take a moment to reflect on the wins and challenges from last year’s recruitment efforts.

• What roles were the easiest and hardest to fill?
• Were there any common themes in candidate feedback or exit interviews?
• Did your processes work efficiently, or are there bottlenecks to address?

This reflection can highlight what’s working well and where there’s room for improvement. For example, if you found certain roles consistently tricky to fill, this could be the year to focus on candidate pipelines or targeted networking.

2. Define Your Hiring Goals

What’s on the horizon for your organisation in 2025? Are there plans for growth, a major new project, or restructuring? Understanding your organisation’s broader goals will help shape your recruitment strategy.

Break these down into specific hiring objectives, such as:

• Filling key leadership roles.
• Growing a specific department.
• Replacing anticipated retirements or leavers.

By aligning recruitment with organisational strategy, you’ll have a clear sense of priorities and timelines.

3. Forecast Your Recruitment Needs

Think ahead to when you’ll need to recruit. If you know certain roles are coming up, you can avoid last-minute scrambles. Map out a calendar with:

• Likely vacancies (e.g., seasonal roles or maternity leave cover).
• Key timelines for hiring (e.g., budgeting cycles, project kick-offs).

Remember to build flexibility into your plan for unexpected changes – because, let’s face it, the unexpected always happens.

4. Build Your Candidate Pipelines

The best recruitment strategies don’t start from scratch every time you need to hire. Instead, they focus on building relationships with potential candidates before roles even open up.

Ways to strengthen your candidate pipelines include:

• Attending networking events relevant to your sector.
• Actively engaging on LinkedIn (both as an organisation and individually).
• Keeping in touch with past candidates who weren’t the right fit at the time.

By staying visible and engaged, you’ll already have a pool of interested candidates when vacancies arise.

5. Review and Refine Your Recruitment Process

The start of the year is also a great time to assess your existing recruitment process. Is it delivering the best candidates efficiently?

• Job ads: Are they attracting the right people?
• Screening: Are your criteria and tools fair, inclusive, and effective?
• Interviews: Are they structured to identify the right fit while providing a positive experience for candidates?

Small tweaks now can save you time and headaches later in the year.

6. Communicate Internally

Recruitment isn’t a solo effort – it’s a team sport. Make sure everyone involved in hiring is aligned on expectations and processes.

• Share the 12-month plan with department heads and key stakeholders.
• Clarify the type of candidates you’re looking for, especially around values and culture add.
• Schedule regular check-ins to ensure hiring needs are on track.

When everyone is on the same page, it’s easier to keep things running smoothly.

7. Set Metrics and Track Progress

How will you measure success? Think about the key metrics that matter to your organisation, such as:

• Time to fill roles.
• Candidate satisfaction.
• Quality of hire and retention rates.

Set up a system for tracking these metrics so you can adjust your strategy as needed. Recruitment plans should evolve based on what’s working and what isn’t.

8. Stay Flexible

Finally, remember that recruitment plans are a guide, not a rigid rulebook. Unexpected vacancies, changing priorities, or shifts in the job market can all require adjustments. Stay adaptable and ready to pivot when necessary.

9. Build Relationships with Your Recruiter

Recruitment works best when it’s built on strong, proactive relationships. By engaging with a recruiter early, you’re creating a partnership that goes beyond filling vacancies as they arise. When your recruiter understands your organisation’s culture, goals, and team dynamics, they can identify candidates who align not just with the role but also with your long-term vision. 

This relationship allows your recruiter to keep an eye out for exceptional, well-suited candidates and notify you of standout candidates, even before you’re actively hiring. Establishing this connection in advance ensures smoother communication, faster turnarounds, and more tailored solutions when a position needs to be filled. 

Think of your recruiter as an extension of your team – the better they know you, the more effective they can be.

A Plan for Success

Creating a 12-month recruitment plan is all about setting your team – and your organisation – up for success. By taking the time to plan now, you’ll have a clear, actionable roadmap to guide your efforts throughout the year – and that means fewer last-minute scrambles, better hires, and more time to focus on the big picture.