We often hear about the talent recruitment strategies that companies use to attract top talent, but what about the individuals who are on the receiving end of these strategies? What’s it like to be recruited by a company? How does it feel when you’re actually chosen? In this post, we’ll explore various recruitment strategies that companies use to attract top talent, as well as different methods used by potential employees during the hiring process.
Before you can set your recruitment strategy, you have to know what your goals are and how you will measure them. Why are you looking for new talent? Is it an expansion of staff or is someone moving on? Are there skills that need to be replaced or expanded upon?
These types of questions will let you know what your overall recruiting needs are so that when it comes time to select a method, you’ll know whether it’s right for you. You also want to make sure that everyone in your company is on board with those strategies, which may require some significant internal conversation and planning before going public with your intentions.
The most important metric in talent recruitment is quality. While you might be able to hire quickly, bringing someone on who isn’t a great fit can significantly hurt productivity and morale—and that’s far more damaging than a long hiring process. Before you start looking for new talent, figure out what traits are most important for your position and create a list of metrics based on those characteristics.
For example, if you’re hiring a salesperson who needs strong people skills, make sure that an approachable personality is one of your metrics. This way, when applicants come in for an interview (or some kind of assessment), you’ll have measurable ways to compare them against each other.
Quality of hire (QoH) refers to a company’s ability to successfully make hiring decisions. The quality of hire is a combination of three factors:
- Employee satisfaction
- Quit rates
- Turnover rates
A company with high-quality hires will see a decrease in those other metrics and an increase in employee retention and productivity. To create a successful business, companies need clear plans for attracting, engaging, developing and retaining top talent. This is where recruitment strategies come into play.
A huge part of a company’s talent recruitment strategy is creating an awesome experience for prospective employees from day one. We all remember that feeling during our first day of work. It’s scary, new, and exciting—and it can make or break your relationship with your employer for years to come. You want job candidates who are excited about your company, eager to learn more, and keen on a long-term partnership instead of just a nine-to-five paycheck.
Think of how you would begin that journey if you were looking for your next employer; what kind of experience would you want? What tools would you want available at your fingertips? How far out in advance would you need to know about openings so that you could prepare yourself for a successful interview? What kind of resources might be useful for deciding whether it’s a good fit before applying?
Recruiting top talent requires thoughtfully thinking through every aspect of your employer brand as well as thoughtful planning throughout every step in the recruitment process.
Recruiting passive candidates is often more cost-effective than actively looking for new hires. If you can effectively market your company culture, perks and other benefits that attract potential talent, you’ll find it easier to hire top employees. That’s why employer branding is such an essential recruitment strategy: by telling your unique story and building credibility with potential candidates, you set yourself apart from other employers in your industry.
This means when a qualified candidate is ready to leave their current job, they’ll be more likely to choose yours—and it won’t cost a penny. Here are some tactics that can help you recruit top talent on a budget:
- Creating content (videos, blogs) that highlights your company culture and why talent should work there.
- Consider doing video interviews with team members so interested applicants can get a feel for what working at your office would be like; or conduct live chats or hangouts. (Bonus tip: Have someone talented do these interviews! Or use Google Hangouts On Air and ask them to say hi at various points in the interview.)
- The more ways you make yourselves available, especially via social media channels where applicants spend time anyway, will only pay off further down the line.
Note that all of these efforts also fall under employer branding, so all you’re paying for is time spent publishing your message.
Keeping track of your employer brand and understanding what prospective candidates think of your company is a vital way to recruit top talent. In fact, two-thirds of job seekers said they read reviews when considering which companies to apply for jobs at.
While you might want to limit reviews available on your company page, it’s a good idea for companies to ask about their employer brand on internal surveys and ask employees how satisfied they are with their experience at work. Surveys help businesses identify why specific groups aren’t as satisfied and help pinpoint areas that need improvement.
Make sure to monitor your reviews on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, where you can provide surveys for employees to fill out after their tenure. Even gathering anonymous surveys can help you get valuable insight into how your business is perceived. This will be a huge asset when writing a recruitment strategy because you’ll be able to determine what tactics work best in attracting top talent.
In recruiting, being strategic means thinking of every aspect of a potential employee’s experience with your company: what they hear about before applying, what they see during their interviews and even everything that happens after their hire date. Being strategic about an employee’s journey helps your company stay in touch with candidates at all stages of their job search—and it makes it easier for them to apply again later if things don’t work out initially.
A strategy that many companies use is an employee referral program. In short, your company will reward current employees for referring prospective employees that are hired. If a new employee meets specific requirements (such as time at the company, years of experience in the field and more), they can earn a monetary reward or even an extra week of vacation.
Not only does an employee referral program work as a recruitment strategy, but it also serves as a great incentive for current employees to stay with your company and keep referring their friends! It’s a win-win! While implementing an Employee Referral Program may take more effort initially, if done correctly it can become one of your best tactics for recruiting top talent down the road.
A truly efficient recruitment strategy is a big undertaking. To ensure you’re getting top talent and you’re giving your applicants an all-around great experience, you’ll need to invest in a variety of tools (automated applicant tracking systems, video interviewing software, mobile job apps, etc.). This upfront investment will lead to higher conversion rates, decreased costs per hire, and overall happier employees.
Start with creating job descriptions—make sure they’re written in a way that inspires rather than confuses potential candidates. You can also use automated applicant tracking systems like Greenhouse or Lever to make sure all your candidates are being considered fairly; check out their videos on how they can help and start using them today!
A passive candidate is someone who’s currently employed but open to other opportunities, or someone who’s recently left a company. A growing number of job seekers choose not to go through recruiters or companies and instead search for new positions on their own. As a result, attracting top talent has become increasingly challenging.
Identifying high-performing candidates can be difficult when sourcing on your own—but it doesn’t have to be. To attract top talent and retain employees once they join your team, you need a well-thought-out recruitment strategy that addresses both current employee turnover and future growth.
Consider the following when trying to attract passive candidates:
- How are they currently spending their time?
- What kind of work do they do?
- What questions might appeal to them?
- Are there ways to connect with them at trade shows, networking events or other types of events?
- Do we know any mutual contacts that might be able to help us reach out in person?
- Do we know any third parties (e.g., staffing agencies) that could possibly introduce us to them?
When you’re recruiting top talent, your recruitment plan should always include a job board—but don’t limit yourself to just one or two. Different boards can help you reach candidates from different industries, locations and backgrounds.
If you’re in tech, for example, consider posting on Stackoverflow, Hacker News as well as Dice; if you’re in banking/finance, post on Yahoo Finance as well as LinkedIn; and so on. Once you get familiar with your candidates (and vice versa), use social media marketing like Facebook Ads (or local SEO) to increase brand awareness and drive qualified traffic directly to your career site.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is an essential tool in attracting and recruiting top talent. In fact, some recruiters say that finding and hiring quality candidates through their ATS is easier than through job boards or referrals. However, many companies are still using low-cost ATSs or aren’t using an ATS at all, even though high-quality tools can bring significant improvements in productivity and efficiency. To attract top talent and maximize your ATS capabilities, follow these four steps:
Step 1: Decide What Type of System You Need. Determine whether you need cloud-based software or a custom solution. While you may think that all ATSs look alike on the surface, there are big differences between providers. Pricing and feature sets vary greatly; for example, some systems have more advanced analytics capabilities than others. Moreover, keep in mind that one type of system may be better suited for your needs than another.
For example, if you need compliance with certain federal regulations like OFCCP or EEOC — which only cloud-based solutions provide today — then you’ll probably want to choose a cloud-based provider. On the other hand, if you don’t require complex reporting or data integration — and prefer having full control over your data instead of depending on a third party for backups, patching and security updates — then perhaps purchasing a customized system will be less expensive and allow you to save money over time.
Step 2: Identify Who Will Use Your System Most Often. Although every user has slightly different needs when it comes to accessing data about applicants through an ATS, most people fall into one of two categories.
One group involves managers who search applicants based on resume keywords before narrowing down their candidate pool during interviews; these people spend significantly more time searching resumes than they do interviewing candidates face-to-face.
The second category includes people who review potential candidates’ applications after they’ve been submitted and decide which ones should receive an interview; because each person spends so much time reviewing résumés, choosing applicant tracking systems with interactive dashboards is crucial for staying efficient.
After you’ve identified who will use your system most often, narrow down your options by considering factors such as how frequently users log in to access information, how long each session typically lasts, and how often new hires are added or existing employees leave. Asking colleagues what platform they prefer — or comparing similar platforms yourself — can also help you make a decision about which system best fits the way your business functions.
Step 3: Consider Additional Features. ATSs offer several features for refining search results, collecting and storing information about candidates, and improving overall employee engagement. Some include optional features that might not apply to your business, so you’ll need to carefully consider which features make sense for you — or which might ultimately drive up costs unnecessarily.
For example, if you plan to outsource your recruitment efforts to a partner organization, you’ll likely need an ATS that allows you to integrate with their tools. On the other hand, if your needs are simple and you plan to search for candidates independently, then a lower-priced system will be more than sufficient.
Step 4: Choose a User-Friendly Interface. Once you’ve narrowed down your options and decided which features make sense for your business, focus on how user-friendly each option is — particularly if you have people in multiple locations who will be using your ATS on a regular basis.
Niche job boards are valuable tools for hiring top talent and are especially useful when you’re looking for candidates that aren’t being found on other sites. For example, if you’re hiring a designer, check out Dribbble or Behance. While these sites aren’t designed exclusively for finding jobs, they have a high concentration of graphic designers from all over who may be interested in what you have to offer.
It can also be worthwhile to create signal flares on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Although it isn’t considered formal job search activity, many people in your industry read these forums regularly—and may get wind of an open position via a simple post.
Most of us have done at least one job interview in our lives, and whether you got hired or not, there’s a good chance you know what it feels like. You take time off work, maybe even buy a new suit for your upcoming big day, and get psyched for meeting with someone who will evaluate your skills and abilities. Job interviews are stressful enough without having to worry about how you dress or what questions might come up during your discussion.
It would be much easier if all employers were upfront about their expectations and methods from day one—but they’re not always that way. They expect us to just know what we need to do and present ourselves accordingly. As you probably know from experience, getting a job is sometimes more about knowing which questions to ask than being able to answer them yourself.
Here’s my advice: Always conduct an awesome job interview—it’ll make everything less nerve-wracking as well as help you gain perspective into what employers are looking for in applicants. The better prepared you can make yourself, though, by learning some clever recruitment strategies beforehand (all while following the company’s guidelines), then so much the better!
A job ad doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to make an impact. Job ads that are designed with simplicity in mind often attract more attention and are more likely to attract top talent. Make your job posts a point of differentiation by providing hiring managers and candidates with content that’s easy on the eyes—and easy on their time. Look for every opportunity to include information that can help you stand out from other companies.
One of your primary goals in recruitment should be to create a talent pool. This means identifying, approaching, and communicating with prospective candidates well before you’re ready to make an offer. If you have several positions open, it’s smart (and often easy) to cast a wide net—after all, having several talented people waiting in line for your next job opening will only strengthen your negotiating position.
Talent pools are essential in fields where employee turnover is high; it doesn’t take long for top talent (or their managers) on competitive teams or programs to hear about new opportunities available at other organizations.
There are many different ways companies can attract top talent. However, recruitment is only one component of a successful talent acquisition strategy. Even if you’re offering competitive salaries and benefits packages, candidates may be turned off by a company’s internal culture. To that end, consider nurturing your existing employees rather than recruiting from outside sources.
By fostering an environment where employees feel valued and challenged, you’ll increase your chances of retaining talent in today’s competitive job market. It also helps to show new hires that they aren’t just another face at their new company. Consider creating mentorship programs or open-door policies where senior leaders are encouraged to communicate with employees at all levels of the organization—from entry-level positions all the way up to CEOs.
If a potential candidate wants more information about your current team and corporate culture, provide them with a list of people they can reach out to directly. In addition, keep valuable employee metrics like retention rates top-of-mind throughout your entire business cycle; it will serve as a strong indicator for future growth and development opportunities.
Lastly, if possible, hire ex-employees into leadership roles so they don’t stray too far away from what they know best: their previous employer!
Showing off your offices and allowing your staff to network with local industry leaders is a great way to attract top talent, whether you’re hiring now or in a few months. Recruiting strategies should be planned out well in advance of any event:
- Why do you want to host an event?
- Who do you want to come to your office (potential candidates from you industry)?
- How will attendees know it’s going on?
- How much money are you willing/able to spend on promoting the event?
Your strategy should include answers to all of these questions. If you have decided that hosting industry events is something worthwhile, it’s time to start planning and preparing for one.
When you’re trying to recruit top talent, it’s important that you use all possible avenues. Don’t rely on only your website and job board postings. Leverage social media as a recruitment tool by sharing current job openings with your network—and remember, it’s not just about posting on Twitter and Facebook; it’s also about participating in conversations.
Don’t just expect candidates to come looking for you; search social networks for people who may be interested in jobs at your company. One helpful tool is LinkedIn’s new Who’s Viewed Your Profile feature, which allows users to see how many times a profile has been viewed and by whom, once you post a job see if any potential candidates checked your personal profile.
In some cases, it can be difficult for organizations to fill jobs when positions open up. That’s especially true when it comes to top-talent roles. Yet, some employers find that they’re able to attract top talent—even at an early stage in a candidate’s career—if they focus on nurturing promising professionals. A prime example of how employers can do so is by providing students with opportunities early in their careers through internships and apprenticeships.
According to a 2017 Glassdoor survey, hiring former interns was ranked as one of the best ways employers could attract new talent. Other ways are keeping current employees happy by offering more vacation days or more flexible work hours and implementing mentorship programs (where mentors help developing professionals) inside and outside your company, among other tactics.
If you’re looking for top talent but aren’t sure where to start, consider hiring an outsource recruitment firm. You can work with a recruiter in your industry who’s already familiar with current trends and potential candidates. Just be sure you both understand your goals before you begin; otherwise, it may not be as cost-effective or beneficial as you think.
If top talent is in short supply in your area, then it may make sense to work with a recruiter that works nationally or even internationally. Outsourcing recruitment requires an investment up front but will save time and effort in the long run by bringing access to new sources of qualified candidates.
It’s important to track how well your strategy is working for two reasons. First, because it will give you a greater understanding of where your recruiting efforts need improving, and second because some strategies are long-term plays that may not show immediate results but will lead you in a certain direction.
If you don’t have time or resources to dedicate to implementing multiple strategies at once, make sure your strategy changes frequently. Recruiting is hard work and adapting is key if you want it to implement an effective talent recruitment strategy.
Recruiting top talent is a necessity for any organization that wants to have an edge over its competitors. The most important thing to remember when recruiting is that you must always be recruiting. Don’t get complacent and assume you have a fully-stocked team or can wait until next year before looking for new talent. If you don’t stay on top of your recruitment strategy, it will surely fall apart.