Recruiting new talent can be a tough job. When the job market is open and there are lots of candidates, it’s tough to weed through them all to find the best choice. And when the job market is tight, it can be tough to get enough candidates to find the right one at all. Many organizations are turning to some out-of-the-ordinary techniques and strategies to recruit top talent. Let’s check out some ideas.
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- Have a contest. Sometimes generating interest can be as simple has having a contest. Make the contest something applicable to the job you want to fill, so that the contest participants can show off their skills. Contests have the benefit of attracting people to play even if they weren’t actively job searching. Focus on contests that utilize important skills for the job, and it will act as a qualifier for applicants.
- Utilize video more. First, create videos to sell the organization. The use of video may not be the most innovative thing that comes to mind, but it’s something many organizations are leaving out of their recruiting efforts. By adding videos, you add another format for candidates to get to know the organization. Take it a step further by using video calling to conduct the initial screening of applicants. It’s simpler to administer than an in-person interview as there’s no travel required, even for far-flung candidates. This can help the organization assess applicants from a wider geographic range, thus expanding the potential applicant pool without dramatically increasing the costs since it reduces the cost of flying interviewees to your location.
- Take a cue from telecoms and cable companies: pay them to switch employers. This can be used directly in marketing materials or couched as a sign-on bonus if you prefer. But offering an incentive to attract talent away from other organizations might be a way to entice individuals who were not otherwise considering leaving their current job.
- Look for skill sets, not specific roles or titles. Some companies have found success by advertising for more generic roles instead of specific jobs— especially when there are multiple, related roles to fill. This allows more flexibility in reviewing candidates and assessing their skills to determine which of the open roles may be a good fit. It’s less likely to pigeonhole a candidate and possibly lose someone who would be a good fit for a different role in the organization. It’s also a way to focus on the soft skills that cannot be trained.
- Include job information with the products you sell. This seems so simple, yet it’s such an easy way to expand the potential audience who will see your job posting. And the audience already has a vested interest in the company because they purchase the products you sell.
- Host paid tryouts instead of asking for applications. If the role you’re filling is something with skills that can be demonstrated in a tryout environment, consider holding open (paid) tryouts. This will allow people with the skills required to come and show off their abilities. Clearly, this has to be well managed and may need to be done on a limited basis or done as a secondary step of the selection process if there are too many people interested.
These are just a few uncommon recruiting techniques. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at even more. Stay tuned!