Recruiting exceptional candidates can become a daunting task in today’s competitive and dynamic hiring marketplace. And, as we all know, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to recruiting. Hence, small and big companies alike have to come up with creative recruitment strategies in order to reach and discover potential candidates.
Recruitment processes vary by country and across various industries and can be affected by company culture, recruiting teams, the open role and even the urgency of the hire. So if your growing business has a difficult time finding top-notch talent, here are some creative recruitment strategies that will help you compete with top enterprises for those elusive hires.
1. “Hunt” Your Ideal Candidates Online
With the increase of social recruiting, it doesn’t come as a surprise that more and more talent hunters are turning their efforts to diverse forums or dynamic marketplaces. If you’re looking for an IT specialist, you might find him/her on a question-and-answer site, like the Stack Exchange Network, or a creative writer might spend her time on forums such as Reddit or Quora. Don’t be afraid to approach people on these channels with an unsolicited offer to connect – they’re likely engaging in these places exactly so that they get noticed!
Paint a picture of your perfect future employee, and try to imagine where would they spend their free time online. If you’re curious about a more in-depth social media recruitment strategy, check out our previous article. But now let’s go even a step further and think about how you could reach industry experts on professional forums and specialty websites and get in touch with them. The most famous and common platforms are Quora or Reddit. But we recommend Stack Overflow (for developers and aspiring programmers), Stack Exchange (for non-developer professionals), and of course, Yahoo Answers. Find your niche and specialty and look for active skilled users who seem like they dominate their particular subjects. Get in touch with them and see if you can convert them into potential candidates. A good example of a way to promote your business and create an opportunity to network is to initiate an interactive interview campaign like Ask Me Anything on Reddit.
2. Host an Informal Hiring Event
Another great way of showcasing your company is to host a “hiring happy hour” at the office for the people interested (or potentially interested) in working for you. Think of it as a networking event, where you can meet specialists in your field, and gain more than just future collaborations, but maybe also full-time employees.
It can be a coffee and talk event, or lunch, or even a training session with a discussion panel at the end. Anything that would bring your interested candidates in your office and give you the opportunity to informally “interview” them. Thus, ensure that you have a hiring team or even the hiring managers at the event, getting to know them, their experience, and have the chance to notice anyone who might be a good fit for the company.
3. Create an Employee Referral Program
When it comes to creative recruitment strategies, referral programs might not be the most innovative method, but when done properly, they can bring in fantastic results. Keep in mind, that for a small-medium size business, it’s critical to leverage the talent you already have in the building, so identify an employee who is well-aligned with your companies actions, values and mission, and incentivize them to act as a perfect brand ambassador.
Encourage them to use word of mouth to seek out talented candidates, and compensate them for doing so. Moreover, you can provide them with weekly content they can share on social media or in emails with their networks in order to promote the vacant jobs. Create an easy to remember step-by-step process such as:
- A talented friend approaches you and asks you about your job/position/company
- Give us their contact through a referral link
- If they are employed, you get a commission of $1,000
You might be surprised by the results of this program, and it may cut down on your recruitment budget. Give it a try, and let us know about your success!
4. Build an Incredible Career Page on Your Website
Most companies have a page that lists positions available at your company. But a “career page” should also highlight the appeal of joining your team. Use your careers page not only as an opportunity to post your available jobs but also to talk more in-depth about your employees’ experience working for your company. Get creative, post photos from work events, or informal outings, share positive employee testimonials, or even videos of your staff talking about the experience in the office. And, most importantly, highlight what it looks and feels like to be an employee of your business.
This might attract potential candidates to you, because they will be more eager to get in touch when they feel like they could be a good fit for the team given their experiences, interests, and stories, not to mention that they will be instantly attracted by your company’s personality and culture.
There you have it!
Bottom line is that more creative your recruitment strategies can help you stand out in the talent marketplace. Try mixing and matching with your companies’ culture and industry, research some successful case studies in your domain, and take notes on how other (maybe bigger) companies started implementing effective recruitment strategies. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try new things, like social media marketing, contacting qualified past candidates for recommendations and referrals, implementing a mobile-friendly application process, and most importantly, start using an Applicant Tracking System that will help you optimize and personalize your hiring processes. If you’re interested to learn more, request a demo.
Now, get out there, and start hunting great talent. And don’t forget to think outside the box!
