In yesterday’s Advisor, we outlined some of the less common techniques to find and recruit top talent. Let’s take a look at a few more unusual options.
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- Poach from the competition by covertly scouting out the best employees and contacting them directly. For example, if you’re hiring for a customer-facing position, you could pose as a customer and interact with your competitor’s customer-facing team members. Find out who does the job well, and then you’ll know who may good be a good candidate for your own job. (Be careful not to break anyone’s employment contract; seek legal counsel with questions before proceeding.)
- Offer gifts and flattery to attract passive candidates. While there are limited public examples, some organizations have been trying a tailored and personalized approach to recruiting passive candidates (those not actively job hunting). After taking the time to get to know the candidate, the organizations reach out with a personalized gift, which has enough value to show the individual that the company is serious about them. That alone can help to shift a passive candidate’s mind-set to consider changing jobs. (The one example of this often cited in the press is from a company called Red 5 Studios, who sent iPods to developers they were hoping to recruit. The iPods had personalized recruiting messages from the CEO on them.)
- Implement referral programs with a twist. Offer interesting employee referral programs and make them stand out by doing something out of the ordinary. That might be something like a product giveaway that your employees use to find potential new hires or some other way to make the program top of mind instead of an afterthought. Find ways to make the program stand out to your current employees so they have incentive or motivation to promote the organization to others.
- Host networking events that allow your recruiting team to meet others in the industry in person. This can also allow your team to see how potential applicants interact in a group setting. It’s an informal way to learn a lot more about someone, before they’ve even applied for a job. (And if they don’t apply, you can choose whom to pursue directly.)
- Create marketing campaigns aimed at potential hires. Companies market and advertise publicly for their products all the time, but they are often more likely to stick to traditional job boards and the like when marketing their organization’s job openings. Instead, consider traditional product and service advertising routes like commercials, posters, and billboards as a way to spread the message that you have a great job to fill. Go a step further and offer something unique to entice people to apply, like a sign-on bonus or paid relocation for the new employee.