It’s no secret that today’s corporate recruiting industry has its share of challenges. Employers are working hard to understand how to recruit employees & attract and retain talent in an incredibly tight labor market. This is all while attempting to incorporate millennials into organizations where the aging population isn’t retiring.
The ever-changing landscape of where to post the job itself combined with the myriad of available communication options (Instagram? Really?!) are making it practically impossible to efficiently recruit at scale.
And yet, hiring needs are not slowing down. In fact, your growth hinges on your ability to quickly identify the best qualified candidates and get them through your talent acquisition process.
Four Steps for Recruiters
So what’s a corporate recruiter to do? To start with, understand the challenges of today’s recruiting process and address them head-on. Here are four ideas to get ahead of the game.
1. Be Efficient
We all want the most qualified, highly-ranked candidates, but the truth is, in a tight labor market, job seekers have all of the power. And if the competition acts faster than you, your ideal candidate might just get away.
Before seeking out a candidate, make sure you have a plan. Work closely with hiring managers to understand the position’s responsibilities and the necessary qualifications, and identify the compensation package and details.
Once you identify potential candidates, set aside blocks of time over several days that allows both you and the hiring manager to conduct initial and follow up interviews in a timely manner. Once you identify the ideal candidate, be prepared to make an offer they can’t refuse.
With corporate recruiting, chances are good you will not have a ton of time to get through each step. Scrambling to create time on a busy executive’s calendar, or taking too long to get necessary feedback, creates needless delays. Try to streamline each step and communicate regularly with your top candidates so they know where they stand in the process.
2. Personalize the Process
Fact: highly sought after candidates are being approached by multiple recruiters, in addition to their own active searching. Employers need to make their company stand out from the crowd, and cold calling and mass emails won’t cut it in today’s market.
Instead of opting for those more traditional corporate recruiting, seek out your ideal candidate by speaking their language. Utilize the latest social media networks and content marketing to connect with talent.
Are you following them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, GitHub, Product Hunt, or whatever other platforms they are on? The most successful recruiters today consider the process about building relationships, not closing transactions.
3. Shape Your Employer Brand
Who is your company? Who works there? What do you stand for? How do you support your employees? What kind of opportunities will I have when I work there?
These are the questions that prospective employees have about your company. It’s no longer only about pay, access to a gym, onsite lunch, summer Fridays, and casual dress. Those perk requirements have evolved into a deeper look at the kind of company you are.
Does your website, careers page, social profiles, employee profiles etc tell this story? Are your prospective employees even seeing this content or are they simply reading your job description on a job board and deciding to apply from there?
It is imperative that you do everything you can to showcase your Employer brand and make sure candidates engage with that content.
4. Utilize the Right Tools
Many candidates are turned off by vague job descriptions and cumbersome job posts. The lengthy account creation process, and qualifying questions your ATS requires is also setting the wrong tone (see point #3 above).
To attract the right candidates, understand what makes a job posting effective and stay current on the latest trends in recruiting. Identify easy-to-use tools that are attractive to candidates, automate recruitment, and give you the best chance to convert and connect with quality candidates.
At the end of the day, recruiters need to provide companies with candidates that will make an impact. By being strategic, personalizing your approach, shaping your company employer brand, and incorporating the right tools, you will improve your success and get the results you, your candidates, and your company need.
Jobiak Can Help
Looking for more help on how to recruit employees? Are you in corporate recruiting and need to get your open positions into the top rankings on Google for Jobs? Contact us today to learn how our platform can help you.
