When you have openings within your organization, you're not alone. In fact, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 10.7 million job openings across the country by the end of June 2022. Unfortunately, finding the best candidates to fill openings isn't always easy — which is why it's so important for your business to have a solid recruitment strategy in place.
Not sure where to begin when it comes to improving your recruitment process? Consider these effective and innovative recruitment methods to help you find qualified candidates.
8 methods of recruiting employees
There are plenty of recruitment tools and methods that can streamline your next hiring process while making it more cost-effective. Whether you run a small business or a large organization, consider these tips for recruiting top talent.
1) Promote internally
When you're trying to find the right employee, it's good practice to tap into both internal and external networks. Internally, this means seeking potential candidates who are current employees or recently retired employees. The perfect fit for your job opening might already exist within your organization — and promoting a current or recent employee can open up another position that is much easier to fill.
Likewise, promoting internally can save your company money that would otherwise be spent onboarding and training a new hire: It costs between $2,792 and $4,425 to bring a brand new employee in and get them up to speed. Promoting from within tends to be cheaper because it occurs faster (less money spent on recruiting) and requires less training and onboarding. It's also worth noting that internal hires often have higher success rates than external hires.
Tips for promoting internally
As you get started with internal recruitment, keep these tips in mind:
- Lean on your Human Resources (HR) department to find the best candidates.
- Spread the word about job posting through internal communications.
- Set up a clear internal transfer policy.
2) Post on career sites and job boards
There's no shortage of career sites and job boards where you can share your job postings for potential candidates to see. Monster, Career Builder, Glassdoor, and Indeed are just a few of the most popular platforms to consider. Using these platforms, you or your recruiter will gain access to a pool of passive and active job seekers.
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of using these job board platforms for your talent search is that you'll see a variety of skill sets available through very specific Boolean search techniques. These allow you to filter searches for candidates using terms like "and," "or," and "not." This, in turn, can help you find what is often referred to as the "purple squirrel" of candidates needed for the position.
Tips for using career sites and job boards
Ready to create a posting on a job board? Keep these tips in mind:
- Write a compelling and detailed job description.
- Highlight features and incentives that will be most attractive to candidates.
- Use strategic keywords in your posting to increase visibility.
3) Attend networking events
One recruitment method that is less pursued but often very effective is attending local networking events. Not only does this increase your brand awareness and build your company's local presence, but it can also help you spot passive talent. Keep in mind that this type of interaction could be your first and last chance to make an impression on certain candidates and that you may be competing with other recruiting companies in the area, so you'll want to be well prepared before you attend a networking event.
Best practices for attending networking events
Some best practices to keep in mind when recruiting at industry events and job fairs:
- Host a presentation to generate interest.
- Offer on-the-spot applications and interviews (if possible).
- Follow up with leads for potential talent.
Depending on your reach, you might also consider hosting your own industry event to network with others in your field and find potential new talent. If you decide to go this route, however, you'll need to factor in additional costs related to renting out a venue (if necessary) and other hosting expenses. From there, you can crunch the numbers and decide whether the potential return on investment will be worth it.
4) Engage employee and industry referrals
If you need a hire who fits your company culture perfectly, consider leaning on referrals from employees and industry colleagues. Not only can your current employees be powerful ambassadors for your organization, but they can often be more effective at identifying strong candidates because they're more familiar with the team's everyday needs.
Meanwhile, referrals are a practical and cost-effective recruiting solution, generating an excellent return on investment due to higher retention and satisfaction rates.
If you're interested in referrals to fill your job openings, you can also partner with recruiting agencies that can provide referrals from top industry leaders and experts. Hunt Club is proud to have an expert network of senior leaders, founders, and VPs who refer top candidates for open positions. Leaning on the expertise and network of a recruitment agency will give you access to a larger pool of new talent, thus increasing the likelihood that a qualified candidate is interested in your role.
5) Explore Artificial Intelligence (AI)
These days, AI is increasingly used to filter through applications and resumes quickly, narrowing down the pool of qualified candidates. On an even deeper level, recruiters can use AI throughout the screening and interview process. Rather than interviewing directly with a recruiter or business executive, for example, a chatbot can facilitate a screening interview to qualify or disqualify candidates in real time.
This method has paved the way for companies to perform high-volume hiring in industries with high turnover rates. At the very least, it allows recruiters and businesses to sift through large pools of applicants to source candidates who will receive more formal interviews.
However, the capabilities of AI in recruiting don't stop there. AI solutions offer different features that can come in handy for filling your next job opening. For example, some offer tools like one-click sourcing, automated text assistants, analytics, and even ramification technology to find the best candidates.
AI tools to consider
Not sure where to begin when it comes to selecting AI recruiting tools? Consider these tops picks from SelectSoftware Reviews:
6) Use social media to source
More than ever, employers are turning to social media networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to find job candidates. In 2021 alone, 91% of employers reported using social media recruiting to fill job openings. Aside from reaching your own personal network right away, recruiters can also use job postings to evangelize and gain referrals from family, friends, and acquaintances.
If you plan to recruit on social media, this is a good time to lean on your company's social media manager (if you have one). After all, your social media manager will be the most experienced in knowing and understanding your brand's audience of followers. Social media is also a great platform to promote your company culture, which can help you find the right candidates to fit your brand's values.
Best practices for using social media to find talent
While you can share job ads on just about any social media platform, LinkedIn is one platform designed to help you recruit talent. Specifically, LinkedIn allows you to create and share a job posting directly on the site. If you're looking to create a posting on LinkedIn, keep these tips in mind:
- Keep your description specific, concise, and direct.
- Post your job opening not only to your own timeline, but your company page as well.
- Share your job posting on relevant LinkedIn networking groups.
- Share your job posting on other social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
7) Try passive recruitment
If you're having trouble landing the ideal candidate for your job opening, it's possible that your top prospects aren't currently looking for a new job. These are known as passive candidates — and, as you can imagine, they require some extra effort to recruit.
Passive recruitment refers to the methods used to attract candidates not currently seeking a job. Passive recruitment contrasts with active recruitment, where employers seek candidates actively looking for new jobs.
Understanding passive recruitment
Passive recruitment can be challenging, which is why outsourcing your needs to a professional recruitment company or headhunter can be the best course of action for tracking down the top talent available for your job posting.
While you may not have the time to seek out exactly what your business needs in a new hire, having a trusted recruiter dedicate time to identifying top talent in your industry can be an effective way to bring in passive talent.
8) Leverage video interviews
There are times when schedules simply don't line up, particularly if you've been headhunting top talent that is currently employed. Likewise, setting up in-person interviews may not be possible when candidates live across the state — or across the country. This is where utilizing video interviews as a recruitment technique can be extremely effective, especially when pre-screening candidates.
Video interviews can even be automated, allowing candidates to essentially perform and record their own interviews at a time that is convenient for them. From there, HR and recruiters can review video interview footage in their own time before determining whether the candidate will move on to an in-person interview or another video interview with management.
Top recruitment video tools to consider
Looking for some recommendations on video interviewing platforms to make your life easier? Check out these top picks from SelectSoftware Reviews:
Enhance your recruiting methods with Hunt Club
Finding the right candidates can be a time-consuming and costly process — but with the right strategies in place, you'll be well on your way to filling those job openings with quality candidates who are in it for the long haul.
Looking to free up time and make the most of your next hiring process? Hunt Club is here to help. Our full-service recruiting services are powered by the latest technology and led by experienced talent strategists who work tirelessly to refer top talent directly to your open positions.
Learn more about how our recruiting agency can take the stress and hassle out of your next hiring process. Reach out to our team today!
