5 Recruiting Strategies that Win the War for Top Talent

As the economy continues to expand and hiring heats up, these five recruiting strategies could be the key to landing more top talent.

Land More Top Talent for Your Clients with these 5 Recruiting Strategies

Hiring is a complex process and in a competitive market, attracting and landing the best candidates becomes harder to do. Time wasted sifting through unqualified candidate resumes, an inability to reach the type of candidates you’re looking for, or not knowing how to interest the best candidates in your client’s openings could all be standing in the way of your organization’s growth.

More than 50 percent of U.S. workers say they’re open to a new job even if they aren’t actively looking, and it’s a priority for one-fourth of U.S. workers right now. Your ability to find both active and passive candidates, walk them through the process, and successfully place the most talented workers with your clients is key; the question is, are you employing all the right recruiting strategies you can to win in today’s competitive hiring market place?

Showcase your competitive edge through your hiring process.

You can bet that your competitors are going to do all they can to woo quality candidates; so how are you going to reach out to the best of the best to interest them in your company’s process and – ultimately – job openings? Company culture, mobility, referrals, social media, and personalization are the keys to ensuring you are hiring the top talent.

Revamp with 5 Recruiting Strategies that Win the War for Top Talent

Promote Company Culture

A strong company culture can accelerate success for everyone involved. Take time to explain organizational culture so that you’re able to leverage characteristics that might appeal to the best candidates.

• Describe what it’s like to work at your organization day in and day out.
• Tell candidates about the social and corporate events that enrich the workplace and contribute to professional development.
• Talk about corporate values and workplace standards that contribute to culture and excellence.
• Use videos to tell candidates what it’s like to work at the company behind the scenes, including “real people” who already work there.

Company culture ranks in the top three factors of importance for millennials and they’ll research this aspect of a company before they accept a job offer; sometimes even before they choose to apply for an opening. Top talent will get offered many opportunities and company culture can be a deciding factor.

Make Sure Everything is Mobile Friendly

Over 45 percent of people use mobile device to search for jobs every day. Make sure your job listings are mobile friendly and all links are working. Conduct virtual interviews to make it easier for candidates to get into the process without having to travel, drive downtown, find and pay for parking, and so on. Create virtual tours of offices and work spaces. Make it easy for top talent to view and accept job offers on their smartphone with digital document signing technology.

Your efforts to go mobile can benefit talent you’ve already landed, too. Create an app or intra-company site that holds common information they may need to access, such as commonly used payroll and hiring forms. The key is to make all of your processes as smooth on mobile devices as they are on desktops. The minute someone runs into an error or confusion on their phone regarding your job listings, application or some other process, the higher the chance of them moving on to a different site.

Use Word of Mouth from Talent Already Landed

The strongest hires come from the strongest hires. People who already work at your  company know firsthand what makes your organization special. They’ve experienced your values, work style, and people.

Top talent wants to work with top talent. Interview some of your best performing candidates and create online testimonials to showcase the positive and impressive talent in your company. 46 percent of referred employees will stay at least one year after they were hired as opposed to just 33 percent hired through career sites. The personal connection that is made when you use “real people” to help engage the best candidates can help you retain them longer.

Use Social Media Effectively in the Recruitment Process

Studies show that companies who hire using social media have more productive employees than those who don’t. Candidates attracted via social media tend to be tech-savvy and keep up with emerging business trends, which can lead to creativity in the workplace.

Using social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn enables candidates to respond instantly with a comment or personal message, reducing the time it takes to connect with talent in the overall recruitment process. Social media also facilitates connection with passive candidates who are not necessarily looking for a new job. Once they understand your opportunity, it may motivate them to leave their current job for a better fit. Social media users spend almost 2 hours a day social networks, so make sure you take advantage of this opportunity to attract the best top candidates.

Make a Personal Connection

Top candidates whose skills are in high demand often find themselves in the position of having to choose among multiple offers. When all is said and done, strong hires will gravitate toward recruiters who made a personal connection with them.

Your personal connection can also help you identify the best candidates more quickly. The more comfortable the candidate feels, the more information they will open up about their skill set and past experiences. Be creative in your interview process. Invite the candidate to your office to meet you and your team. Hold an open house. Meet for coffee at a coffee shop near your candidate instead of the formality (and potential candidate-inconvenience) of your office. Find ways to make your interview process stand out.

Use these five recruiting strategies to gain an advantage in a competitive hiring marketplace. When you’re able to attract and land the best candidates, you position your company for growth and leadership. Hiring top talent can help your business transform from good to great, and give you a reputation for excellence in the industry.