Hiring employees is one of the most important and difficult decisions of being a business owner or decision-maker. It is difficult to find qualified candidates who you can be confident will get the job done well, help move the company forward, and stick around for the long run.
In a 2016 study by SHRM, 68% of human resources professionals reported difficulty recruiting candidates for full-time positions in their organizations.
The recruiting process is also time-consuming and hiring someone who does not work out can be costly. They need to be a good fit for the job requirements as well as your company culture. You may even feel like you’ve exhausted every hiring avenue. So how can you be sure to hire the best employees time and again?
Have no fear, we’re here with 12 recruiting tips to help you attract top talent to your organization. These resources have been broken down into four main categories:
- People: It’s literally about who you know.
- Places: Where are you advertising and searching?
- Tools: Hiring doesn’t have to be a long, strenuous process.
- Cultural Competence: You attract the best employees by showing you care.
When it comes to your recruiting strategy, sometimes you simply have to get creative! Read on for more ideas on hiring awesome people.
People
Perhaps one of the most important recruiting tips is to consider who you already know. Who can you reach out to in order to streamline and strengthen the hiring process? Who do you trust? Start with your current employees and past candidates.
1. Ask for referrals from current employees.
Did you know that at least 70% of jobs are not published? That’s because they’re being filled through two more powerful avenues: referrals and networking.
If you know of employees you trust who perform well, have a clean track record, and are happy with your company, why not look to them for referrals? After all, if your current employee is willing to vouch for another candidate, it likely says a lot about that candidate. Plus, they’ll be a great advocate for your business and have a better idea of what type of person will be a good fit for the job.
Consider implementing an employee referral program if you don’t have one already. This type of system rewards existing staff with a monetary incentive after their referral has remained at the company for a time (i.e., a 90-day probationary period).
Using referrals can save hiring managers and recruiters significant time searching for qualified candidates. Hiring employees through referrals can improve both morale and retention rates. Fill that position faster by spreading the word among your family, friends, and acquaintances.
2. Review past candidates.
Do you have any previous applicants who didn’t make the cut last time? Perhaps the timing didn’t work out, or they weren’t exactly the right fit. They might be better suited for your current opening or have gained new skills and experience since you last interviewed them.
If you’re hiring for the same or a similar position, give the past candidate’s resumé another look and contact them if you feel there is still interest and potential.
3. Involve peers in the interview process.
Who better to assess a new candidate than an employee who is already in the same or similar position? Peer interviews are an extremely valuable part of any recruiting strategy because the employee knows what kind of skills, experience, and attitude it takes to succeed in the job. They can tell you if they believe the candidate is the right fit for the position and team culture.
The current employee can also give the applicant a clear vision of what the day-to-day of the job looks like and set expectations.
Places
In order to reach top talent, you need to advertise where the best candidates are searching and hanging out. This section of recruiting tips includes specific places and venues to spread the word about your job openings.
4. Use relevant job boards and career sites.
There are countless job boards companies can use to widen their hiring reach. Many are general and span many types of employees, locations, and industries. There are also career sites dedicated to certain industries (e.g.: healthcare, accounting, marketing, etc.). Some even specifically target remote workers.
Some of the most well-known job boards and career sites include:
- Indeed
- Monster
- Glassdoor
- ZipRecruiter
These sites include resumes from large pools of candidates from many backgrounds and experiences. They typically offer fair pricing as well as options to advertise your open position in order to attract top talent and fill it faster.
5. Maximize your social media platforms.
The first network that comes to mind here is, of course, LinkedIn. The world’s largest professional network currently has over 722 million memes in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
A 2018 study found that LinkedIn remains popular with college students. In fact, 50% of U.S. college grads are LinkedIn users. The platform makes it easy for hiring managers to search for candidates based on important qualifiers like their region, education, experience, and skills.
Facebook is another social media network that is increasingly used for job postings and hiring qualified employees. The platform even offers businesses the option to post job openings from their business page.
The main thing to consider is the reach of social media platforms. Managers and employees can share job openings on their own social profiles, and the word spreads from there. You never know what kind of great candidates you could be introduced to!
Plus, if your company is active on social media and shares content like photos and videos of your team and work environment, you’ll give candidates an idea of your company culture. This will help them in determining if your business is a good fit for them.
6. Join networking groups and events.
Although online resources have made the hiring process that much easier, there is still nothing like in-person networking. Consider attending:
- Meet-ups
- Networking groups
- Conferences
- Job fairs
You can even find events and groups for specific fields or jobs, such as IT or creative professionals. These are great ways to meet new highly-skilled and passionate professionals.
Whether you have a current opening or not, it doesn’t hurt to make connections and keep people in mind for times when your personnel situation is changing and growing!
7. Partner with colleges and universities.
Colleges and universities typically have career development programs through which they partner with businesses in order to help students find new opportunities. From internships to full-time permanent positions, ambitious college students can be found to fill many roles.
Hiring managers can attend university career fairs, where they can set up a booth and educate students about their company. When you have certain roles open up, you can even contact the school to be connected to top soon-to-be grads who will be entering the workforce. In some cases, companies can even list job openings in campus newspapers or on the school website.
Tools
One of our top recruiting tips is to consider how you can make the entire process easier while getting better results. Next up: We have two types of tools you can use to find high-quality candidates who will be a good fit for your organization.
8. Utilize an applicant tracking system (ATS).
For larger companies who are reviewing many resumés and filling many positions, an ATS might be a more useful tool for hiring employees. This software streamlines the hiring process by creating a candidate database. It then allows you to bulk message candidates, rates and organizes them, and stores information about them.
An ATS also includes an applicant screening tool that allows you to screen prospective employees for information about their experience, education, and personal details. This way, you can ensure their information aligns with the information in their resumé. Some ATS software can even parse info from resumés to easily fill in this information.
9. Conduct pre-employment testing.
Pre-employment testing is an important part of the recruiting strategy for many employers. It allows them to test candidates to find out if they are the right fit for specific job roles. Pre-employment assessments can help you determine if an applicant has the right skills, experience, and traits for a position.
Pre-employment testing can help:
- Make the hiring process more efficient: Many employers require assessments to be completed before the interview to help narrow down the applicant pool.
- Assess a candidate’s skills: Employers often use pre-employment tests to ensure an applicant’s skills suit the requirements of the job. For example, a web developer might be given a coding test.
- Improve the quality of interviews: You can use the results of a candidate’s test to ask more specific questions about their skills and work experience.
- Reduce turnover: If you already know a candidate has the skills and knows how to apply them sufficiently, you can increase employee retention rates.
There are seven general types of pre-employment tests companies may administer based on their industry and the position requirements:
- Job knowledge
- Integrity
- Cognitive ability
- Personality
- Emotional intelligence
- Skills assessment
- Physical ability
Cultural Competence
You have a great organization with a happy team, why not show it? Give candidates a taste of your company culture by showing them how you value and respect current employees, set clear expectations, and maintain a sense of transparency. These recruiting tips will tell you how to do just that.
10. Create a warm and welcoming workplace culture.
Candidates today are searching for a cultural fit just as much as a good job and salary fit, so this should be a key part of your recruiting strategy. Create a positive work environment for employees and show them you care about their work-life balance. When you do, your business will gain a reputation as a great place to work.
A few ways to do this include:
- Offering a comprehensive benefits package.
- Offering paid time off.
- Investing in reliable technology and equipment to help employees do their jobs well.
- Having processes in place for performance reviews.
- Providing opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Offering great employee perks.
- Having a modern, friendly office design.
- Building a company brand that employees feel proud of.
11. Show candidates respect and consideration.
While the candidate is working to impress you, you should be putting your company’s best foot forward as well. Make a good first impression and show them that you are excited to get to know them, just as they are excited about the opportunity.
Create a great first experience with your company by:
- Respecting their time. Show up on time to interviews, regardless of the place or medium. Let them know as soon as possible if you’re running late or if something changes. If the process requires several rounds, schedule the interviews in an efficient manner.
- Give them a warm welcome. When a candidate arrives for an onsite interview, offer them a drink and show them the restrooms. It’s also nice to show them around the office and give them a peek at your products or services.
- Keep the lines of communication open. Give them your contact information so they can reach out with any questions or concerns following the interview. Keep them updated on the hiring process, even if they do not get the job. You never know what could happen down the line!
12. Craft enticing job descriptions.
Your job description is how you can market to and attract high-quality candidates. Make it attention-grabbing, accurate, and to-the-point with:
- A clear, specific job title.
- An engaging summary that gives a clear picture of the role and company.
- A specific list of key responsibilities for the position.
- The salary or salary range.
- A description of 700 and 2,000 words. Indeed reports descriptions of this length receive up to 30% more applications.
- NO jargon, buzzwords, and cliché.
- A summary of your company’s goals and mission to show the candidate the potential for growth and a bright future.
What Is Your Recruiting & Hiring Strategy?
If you think it’s lacking or you don’t really have a solid strategy in place, it might be time to implement some of these recruiting tips. Take your time hiring and don’t rush the process. Utilize all of the resources available to you.
If you need guidance on hiring the best employees for your business, contact BlueLion today at 603-818-4131 or info@bluelionllc.com. We’ll help you get those processes in place and teach you how to find the best people for every job!
The information on this website, including its newsletters, is not, nor is it intended to be legal advice. You should contact an attorney or HR specialist for advice on your individual situation.
