“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” — Benjamin Franklin.

Proactive recruitment is one strategy organisations adopt to anticipate future workforce requirements and build sustainable talent pipelines for long-term growth and success. This reduces hiring costs, minimises talent deficiencies, and gives firms competitive advantages in the tight labour market.

Proactive recruitment helps identify the best talents and engage them to create a pool of qualified candidates for any open positions. This is especially important for organisations operating in high-skill shortage or high-turnover industries, as the right candidate will be found nowhere. Organisations use various avenues such as job boards, social media, networking events, and partnerships with educational institutions to hold onto potential candidates while maintaining a relationship without an opening.

Employer branding is the other aspect of proactive recruitment. This defines how the potential candidate would perceive the organisation. It represents the company culture, values, personal and professional growth opportunities, successes of the employees, involvement with the community, diversity, and an inclusion approach. Proactive recruitment feeds on efforts to develop a brand to attract the best candidate.