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3 Recruitment Strategies You Can Implement Right Now
Posted by Sean Bain on March 9th, 2017 
In order to win the war on talent, smart companies are focusing far beyond the “post-and-wait” game. Although an important component in candidate sourcing strategy, it is but one piece of a complex puzzle—with moving parts. Today’s savvy recruiter understands the need to develop, deploy and cultivate a proactive, long-term strategy in attracting both active and passive candidates.
In fact, progressive organizations view recruiting as an ongoing process that is inextricably linked to their company culture. The lone recruiter or HR rep has been replaced with Talent Acquisition teams who are busy creating Talent Networks, developing branding and disseminating employer messaging across many channels and platforms in order to connect with increasingly sophisticated audiences.
Here are three valuable points to consider when devising your recruitment strategy:
1. ABS: Always Be Sourcing
Connecting with your audience is “the job never ends.” Many companies “do what they’ve always done” and typically only source enough candidates to fill a particular requisition. That’s no longer enough. Building a database of great candidates is imperative—for that particular job, future positions or even other like-positions that different candidates might be a good fit for.
Sourcing is not just using job boards and searching databases. It’s also important to:
- Track and revisit your best sources on an ongoing basis – even if you are not currently looking to fill a requisition – to continually build your talent pool, to network with candidates and also to promote your employment brand.
- Ask for referrals. Remember, industries have their own intricate networks, and candidates have colleagues who also know other candidates. When you maximize this resource to your advantage, it’s not only a complement to the source (making them feel that their opinion is valued and respected), but also a time saver for your organization.
2. Content is king.
A surefire way to strengthen your employer brand (or even lack thereof) is through content marketing. This approach involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, testimonials, etc.) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest. Content marketing is designed to:
- Promote positive, engaging company-audience interaction
- Communicate in an approachable, “non-sales-y” voice that is consistent
- Reflect your brand identity (in this case, your employment brand) in an authentic, transparent way
Look to showcase your own talent’s intellect via social and other digital channels. Recruitment-focused content marketing could include such aspects as your work culture, different areas of expertise from the team on a particular topic, personal success stories, employee accomplishments, etc. Remember, this is a visual medium so be sure to let photos and videos enhance your “story” and convey what life is like at your organization.
People don’t want to work for companies where they don’t think they’ll fit in.
When promoting your employer brand, whether it’s on a career page, social media or at an event, you need to be honest and convey real information about daily life at the company. In addition, pay close attention to the appropriateness of your messaging; a retail or restaurant will communicate in a drastically different tone and style than, for example, a healthcare organization. In summary, you want to give people the chance to learn about your company and get an idea of what it’d be like to be part of it, and you just may convince them to join.
3. Go social.
Posting, blogging, tweeting, snapchatting, instagramming, facebooking…these aren’t real verbs, yet you know what these terms mean, don’t you? That’s because social media is no longer a novelty; it is a ubiquitous technology that has revolutionized – and forever changed – the ways in which we communicate as a person, a brand or a company. Although each platform or channel offers its own unique level of engagement, why not consider using social media to attract passive candidates?
According to recent stats, 75% of people who aren’t even looking for a new job, would consider an offer if it came their way.
That’s a powerful number of potential hires. Problem is, these people also won’t see the ad you post to your favorite job board, nor will they visit your company career page. The point is, most (and sometimes the best) passive talent may not be checking out job boards, but they are engaging via avenues such as Twitter, Facebook and other social media. It’s important that your organization has a presence via social channels to help attract that sort of talent—trust me; the investment of time, effort and a few dollars in this environment, coupled with standard recruitment outreach (job boards, etc.) will go a long way in your acquisition of top talent.
Ready to connect with the people who are an ideal fit for your organization? Contact NAS today to get started.
Sean Bain
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