The job market is tough; not just for job seekers, but also for companies that are seeking stellar employees to fill their ranks. The competitiveness of the recruitment process can make finding the best talent for your company seem like an indomitable task. To help you with this, we are going to provide you with seven tips that will show you how to attract employees who will make an impact.
Make your company benefits known
Statistically speaking, benefits come only second to salary in the job seeker decision making process. To gain a competitive edge in the job market, you should do everything in your power to offer and promote your great company benefits. This includes medical benefits, great vacation policies, flexible work schedules and officer perks such as on-site meals or wellness programs. It’s not just about salary, people want to enjoy their work environment.
Encourage current staff to become active members of professional associations
In most industries, the majority of the top talent will hold membership in several professional associations. By encouraging your employees to be active members therein, they can serve as passive recruiters for your company.
Advertise via professional associations and organizations
Speaking of associations, you should be overtly marketing open positions at your company at them and any other professional organizations. Depending on the organization, some job boards offer free listings, while others charge a per-listing or annual fee.
Develop strong relationships with universities both in and outside of your local area
When thinking about how to attract employees, don’t forget about upcoming college graduates. Universities possess a wealth of talent eager to get the job done wherever they land. In order to make sure that the best college graduates land in your lap, you must develop strong relationships with the colleges themselves. Many employers do this, but they make two critical mistakes when doing so.
First, they only recruit from regional universities. Although this is easier, staying local means that you are overlooking thousands of people. Even reaching out to a few universities outside of your region will grant you access to a less-tapped pool of talented potential employees. And few people are more willing to relocate (with minimal aid from the employer) than a recent college graduate.
Second, many companies limit themselves to career services/recruitment departments of universities. In addition to this, you should be seeking out active college professors and department heads who are willing to pass opportunities on to their best students.
Go after candidates that you think you have “no chance” of bringing in
Assuming that you have zero shot at reeling an All-Star in due to the salary that their resume implies or a general perception about their interests could be a huge mistake. Go after them anyway; you never know what someone is looking for in a company.
Make sure that finding a candidate who “only has industry experience” comes second
Just because someone has done a job before doesn’t mean that they are great at it. Seek out the most talented individuals first; you can always train for industry-specific knowledge later. Instead focus on candidates who have strong records of high performance and achievements. Culture fit is something you can’t train, so finding someone who has the right personality for your team should rate highly as well.
Leverage the power of a recruiting firm
No entity has a more powerful recruiting network than a strong recruiting firm/headhunter. Recruiters are seeking out top talent every day of the week. f you don’t use this power, then you are missing out on a huge swath of talented individuals.
