The recruiting landscape is dynamic. It changes constantly, and it’s downright competitive given the improved economy and low unemployment rates. To keep up with the current trends that are driving the way top companies recruit and hire talent, it’s important to ask questions so you can adapt your strategy to attract qualified applicants.
To effectively address how a company stacks up against the fierce competition in the war for talent, savvy recruiting and HR professionals need to ask questions like:
- What are the best ways to recruit talent right now—is it through employee referrals, the company’s website, online resources, or word of mouth?
- What’s the most effective method of online recruiting to find qualified applicants?
- Should we negotiate salary, incentive-based pay, or benefits as part of the initial job offer?
- Which types of jobs (entry-level, mid-level, management) are best suited for online recruiting methods?
Find out the answers to these questions and more by attending our in-depth webinar on June 13 with expert insights on today’s recruiting best practices.
As a preview to this event, Rebecca Barnes-Hogg, Founder and Lead Consultant of YOLO Insights®, has supplied some frequently asked questions—and answers—to this HR topic.
What are the best ways to recruit talent in a competitive market where candidates have plenty of choices and can afford to be highly selective?
A—The best way to recruit talent in a competitive market, is to know your ideal candidate and what appeals to them. Present the opportunity instead of the job. Your business is not like your competition and when you present the job as a value proposition, you attract people who share your company’s values, beliefs, and mission.
Great candidates want to know why their work matters, how they can contribute to making a difference, and what it will be like to work at your company. They need to know that your business aligns with their core values. Communicate why the work they will do matters (the purpose or mission). Show a clear path from their work to achieving your mission.
Should I post my jobs online or use other methods to recruit?
A—The method you use depends on who your ideal candidates are. Go where they are and make it easy for them to apply. According to a Jobvite survey, 82% of candidates are finding jobs on their phone so make sure you optimize your application process for mobile devices.
Remember to be human and take a personal and interactive approach. When you send an e-mail, text, or leave a voicemail, personalize the message instead of using templates or generic messages. Consider joining online communities where your ideal candidates are talking about and sharing their work.
Remember you can also be creative. For example, IKEA recruited their customers by placing instructions on how to build a career at IKEA inside the boxes with the furniture pieces that customers would assemble at home.
What are the best metrics to show that my recruiting strategy is working?
A—You can measure your success with traditional metrics like time to fill and cost per hire. Also consider using these more meaningful metrics:
Source quality. For each source (job board, employee referral, targeted sourcing of passive candidates, etc.), track candidate quality. Your goal is to have consistently high quality candidates because that saves valuable time and money.
Applicant quality. This is closely related to source quality. Tracking the number of candidates who are qualified confirms that your sources and job postings are doing a great job of attracting qualified candidates.
Manager/Applicant satisfaction. Measuring both manager and applicant satisfaction with your recruiting process provides valuable insights on where your process is efficient and where you can improve.
Quality of hire. Track real performance for your new hires—including turnover in the first 30 days to 1 year—as well as your normal performance metrics like progress on goals and objectives.
Join Rebecca Barnes-Hogg for the live webinar, “Today’s Competitive Recruiting Landscape: Where to Post Jobs for Best Visibility, Which Benefits to Negotiate for Qualified Hires, and More”—Sponsored by Mighty Recruiter—on Tuesday, Jun 13, 2017. Register today!
| Rebecca Barnes-Hogg, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is The Small Business Hiring Expert and works with small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to end their struggle to hire the right people. She is the author of the upcoming book, The YOLO Principle: The Ultimate Hiring Guide for Small Business, and a co-author of Rethinking Human Resources. She can be reached at 843-779-YOLO (9656) or rebecca@yoloinsights.com. |