Any recruitment company keeping up with the beat of the times knows that the hiring landscape is quickly changing. Perhaps a decade ago, recruiters could completely rely on job search sites and wait for candidates to flock to them. While that’s still a great way to attract applicants, many companies now ride the competitive digital wave and deploy clever tactics that are influencing how jobseekers choose their place of work.
One of the biggest reasons for this shift is the evolution of the modern workforce. How do you attract talent from a crowd that is notorious for switching jobs every couple of years? Here are some of the modern techniques companies are using and how you can execute them.
1. Social media recruitment
Social media has undeniably become a huge influencer when it comes to shopping, lifestyle, and even business decisions. Studies show that the average person has 7.6 social media accounts. While they may not be active on each one, it’s safe to say that most people get their daily dose of content and information from these platforms.
LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are some of the most popular channels that help companies find the right talent that they want to bring in their company. LinkedIn is already a professional social network, which makes hunting for the talent you want to woo that much easier. All it takes is a simple private message tailored to the candidate while putting your company’s best foot forward.
As for Facebook, it’s great to utilize videos that can show how exciting it is to work with your company. You may interview your current employees and create something fun and light to show other people the value working with you can add to their careers (and even their personal lives). Instagram and Twitter are good for local hashtag searches, efficiently localizing your content and helping the right people find you.
Remember: In social media, you’re attracting talent that doesn’t necessarily want to leave their current workplace. It’s up to you to market your company in a way that will convince them to!
2. Paid Ads
Creating paid ads is the next step in continuing the conversation about marketing your company. You don’t just want to promote your business to clients or customers but candidates as well! For instance, you can use Facebook Advertising to reach people in a particular demographic or those who have similar interests. This will also help you localize talent and find people who can’t see you.
In job search sites, you can pay more to earn the top slot of the job advertisements list. This could come in handy if you want to fill in a position fast—all they need to do is type their desired position, and they’ll see your company name.
Lastly, you could also improve the SEO of your website’s careers page so that it shows up when people perform a search on search engines. You can opt to include keywords that you’ve paid for in the page so that again, your company shows up on top when candidates are searching.
3. Psychometric personality and aptitude technology testing
Have you considered making your candidates take a psychometric personality and aptitude technology exam? Roughly 22% of companies use personality tests during their hiring process, according to a survey by S.S. Nesbitt. This could be a great tool to help you identify if your talent is culturally fit and adept in the skills you require in your workplace. Sometimes, holding an interview and asking for their portfolio may not be enough—this is a great extra step in ensuring that you’re getting the cream of the crop.
Administering these tests can also help better placement of candidates and show them that you value their personal goals and aspirations as they grow in your company. To ensure the accuracy of these tests, remind your applicants that there are no wrong or right answers in the exam. Instead, it’s an excellent way for you to gain more insight as to who you’re hiring.
4. Talent acquisition ecosystem
Having access to a large talent pool as well as the resources to do so is critical in ensuring that you hire the best candidates. HR Technologist defines a talent acquisition (TA) ecosystems as, “a network of stakeholders, technologies, and strategies that work together to provide organizations with dynamic talent pools.” Think of it as the database you can tap into when looking for people to add to your team.
TA ecosystems benefit both small and large companies, especially independent recruiters. This approach allows your company to enjoy many benefits, such as efficient candidate searches, cost management, system optimization, and an abundant pool of applicants from a global network—all of which improves your current recruitment tools and processes.
5. Continuous candidate engagement
Continuous candidate engagement (CCE) is a relatively new term used in the recruitment industry. It encompasses candidate-centric recruitment. It focuses on the applicant’s overall experience from the first moment they establish awareness with your business all the way until they’re hired (and sometimes, all the way to the onboarding process). It’s a streamlined recruitment process that aims to increase your number of hires.
Adopting CCE in your recruitment efforts means overhauling the way you hire. The steps of this include:
- Building a career page including all information about the job
- Focusing on social media recruitment efforts
- Creating a pool of passive candidates that you regularly reach out to
- Streamlining your application process through digital forms
- Using chatbots or video interviews to make the process faster
- Informing the candidate about their application status periodically
Having a professional recruitment system in place will elevate your brand and show your applicants how put-together your company is. After all, the hiring process is also an opportunity for candidates to assess your efficiency and how you deal with your employees.
Final Thoughts
If you want top talents to join your team, then it’s critical for you to start reevaluating the way you source, recruit, and hire your talent. Use technology to your advantage and take note of the latest trends in the digital sphere as they can help inspire you to create more enticing job ads for candidates you want to attract. It’s also recommended to partner with a professional recruitment agency to work with you—they’re experts in both the practical and novel processes it takes to get high-quality candidates.
Hiring the right people for your company is critical in ensuring your business grows in the direction and pace you want. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new techniques in hiring this year and beyond—they’ll surely round up the creative and skilled talents you need.
