What is the most commonly used search tactic by jobs and recruiters to get the word out about new positions?

The recruitment process is an integral part of running any business. Whether you are a small business owner, a hiring manager, an HR professional, or the CEO of a large company, you will have to recruit at some point in your career. Hiring can be tough on its own, and according to a 2021 study by Harris Poll, 52 percent of U.S. workers are considering a job change within the year. What’s more, 44 percent of this talent have actual plans in place to make the leap.

That means this is the year to step up your recruitment efforts and develop a strategy so your job opening will stand out among the competition. Hiring has now become all about the candidate experience.

What are the elements of a successful recruiting strategy?

1. Develop a clear employer brand
2. Create job posts that reflect your company
3. Use social media to target talent
4. Invest in an applicant tracking system
5. Explore niche job boards
6. Consider college recruiting
7. Find passive candidates and let them know you want them
8. Conduct awesome interviews
9. Consider employee referral

Be sure that you’re finding top quality talent with these eight employee recruitment strategies to help improve your recruitment process. If you’re looking for a recruiting platform, use our Recruiting Product Selection Tool. You’ll get a list of recruiting tools tailored to your needs to help you find a great candidate for your company. For visual learners, check out this video on the top 5 recruitment strategies:

1. Develop a clear employer brand

An important strategy for your recruiting process relies on your employer brand. Your employer brand is what will set you apart from other hiring companies and show candidates why they should work for you. Employer branding should reflect your business’ mission, culture, and values.

Think about questions such as:

• “Why would someone want to work for this company?”
• “Does your company support a diverse workforce?”
• “What percentage of your current employees would recommend your company as a great place to work?” 

From there, check that your business’s “about” page, social media, and advertisements align with your employer branding.

2. Create job posts that reflect your company

Your job post is the first impression the candidate will have of you. You want to be sure to come off as organized and professional while still embracing your brand and communicating your recruitment goals.

Is your company built on comedy? Make the job post funny! Strictly business? Make sure your ad is sleek and well put together. This recruitment strategy will help you acquire more applicants and attract qualified candidates who will fit in with your company culture.

And, in line with tip #1, make sure your job postings are aligned with your company’s branding—such as color, typography, and logo—to convey professionalism.

Social recruiting is a recruiting strategy that uses social media to find talent, advertise jobs, and communicate with potential employees. 

Many brands have been successful in finding quality candidates with this recruitment strategy, including Uber, Apple, and Zappos. Be sure to create a presence on social media that will align with your values and employer brand. 

For example, if your company values philanthropy, share photos or videos of a recent successful philanthropy campaign that your organization spearheaded. Current employees may also share company branded messages about job vacancies to their social media networks (see tip 9!).

4. Invest in an applicant tracking system

Save your hiring managers time and your company money by investing in an Applicant Tracking System (or ATS). An ATS is a software tool that automates the process of posting jobs and finding qualified talent. This often includes one-click job posting to multiple sites, applicant sorting, and interview scheduling. 

There are many options available, so be sure to do your research and find the best ATS for your company’s hiring budget and size.

Top applicant tracking systems

5. Explore niche job boards

Depending on what job you are hiring for, it may be difficult to find talent on one of the many large job market sites. If your company falls into a smaller, more defined category, try looking into recruitment marketing on niche job boards. 

These are smaller job sites devoted to a specific niche industry and often have a community of job seekers and recruiters. You can find niche job boards covering everything from the retail industry to construction.

6. Consider college recruiting

Campus recruiting at colleges can help you discover up and coming talent for your industry, while also aligning your company with internship hiring opportunities and campus connections. You can recruit from colleges in many ways, including attending career fairs or job fairs, volunteering to speak at events for your industry, and being featured on campus online job boards.

7. Find passive candidates and let them know you want them

Passive candidates are those who are currently employed and not actively looking for a job. These candidates will often be the most qualified and seem to be the perfect person for the job. 

Engaging in passive recruiting involves personally reaching out to them. Doing so shows that you are truly interested in their talent and will be sure to grab their attention. Using social media and connections will help you identify a potential candidate as well as raise awareness for your company.

Also read: Why Your Company Needs Passive Recruiting

8. Conduct awesome interviews

It’s important to remember that interviewing is a two-way street. While you are interviewing your candidate, they are also interviewing you. Whether you are meeting remotely or in person, be sure to make it comfortable and low-stress.

Cater the interview to the position applicants are interested in. Will they be working with a group? Try group interviewing. Also remember to reflect your company’s culture in your interview. For example, if you are in an office that likes to joke around a lot, incorporate that into the interview. This recruiting strategy will ensure you find someone who both possesses the right skills and is a good fit for your culture.

9. Consider an employee referral

Another recruitment strategy is to implement an employee referral program. This hiring tactic would allow existing employees to refer quality candidates for open positions within your business. These programs usually offer rewards to employees to encourage them to participate, such as gift cards or cash bonuses. 

Employee referral programs can also facilitate the acquisition of more diverse talent. By communicating the value of diversity to your team and offering special rewards to employees who recommend diverse candidates, you can use employee referrals as a great diversity recruiting strategy.

Get the best recruiting tool for your hiring process

While recruitment strategies can help you attract applicants to your positions, some may not always be the simplest methods for talent acquisition. Recruiting is complex and ever-changing, but with the right tool, you can get ahead of the game and find great candidates for your roles without the use of a recruitment agency. If you want to streamline your recruitment process and provide a positive candidate experience, use our Product Selection Tool to get a shortlist of recruiting software systems.

Read next: The Best Tools for Effective Employee Recruitment

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