Your marketing strategy is the key to luring potential customers to your products and services. You, no doubt, have spent countless precious hours crafting this strategy until it spoke to the exact demographic you desired, and it is a clear representation of your company's vision. This same focused effort should be applied to your recruiting strategy too, if you expect to attract the best candidates that are the right fit for your work culture. Read on to uncover innovative ways to acquire top talent.
1) Incorporate Social Media Platforms
With over 225 million users, LinkedIn is the perfect meeting place for recruiters and candidates. Use this to your advantage and connect with potential employees with skills sets you desire, even if they are currently employed. Beginning a relationship with talented individuals could pay off in the long run. Remember that social media "goes both ways" as well. Make sure to post relevant articles that speak to your mission statement and values. If you use social media pages to vet employees, rest assured they will be doing the same with you.
2) Maximize Digital Tools
Big Data will continue to play a pivotal role in the future of recruiting. Take advantage of this and find resources to help you take a large candidate pool, run analyses based on your ideal criteria, and ultimately narrow your search quickly and efficiently. Then you have more time to spend with candidates who show the most potential instead of being forced to weed out job-seekers that are not appropriate for your company. There are also companies that can help with the application and interview processes by allowing you to create questionnaires and tests for your applicants that are all conveniently web-based. According to this Mashable article, Big Data's "people analytics" will be a $232 billion industry by the end of 2016.
3) Partner with Colleges and Universities
Young, innovative pre-professionals are being groomed at an astonishing rate, and astute recruiters capitalize on this emerging market. In one study, 72% of 2015 college graduates held some form of an internship while in school. Make friends with local higher education institutions and begin attending job fairs, and offer a semester internship to help find and hone talent.
4) Build a Compelling Employee Value Proposition
Employment priorities are changing, especially as a younger workforce is moving up the ranks. Remember that a paycheck is no longer the sole indicator of success. Job-seekers want a competitive compensation package that includes a healthy pay, but more importantly, it includes a reasonable health insurance plan, adequate paid leave, flexible hours, and the option to work remotely - just to name a few. You are now competing in a landscape of companies like Google, who offers paternity leave for new fathers and allows dogs at work. Get creative and create a company culture that is centered around your core values and will lure in potential top talent.
There are many ways to create an effective recruiting strategy. Don't overlook this crucial step during your next round of hiring. Your team and the future of your company will thank you.
