7 Effective And Creative Ways To Find The Right Employee
It's no secret: Our current labor market climate makes finding the right people for open roles in your organization challenging. The task of hiring can sometimes feel daunting and demotivating, and often you begin to wonder what it is YOU are doing wrong. Small businesses without huge HR departments are especially feeling the burden of hiring. So let's stop the pessimistic cycle and dive into important and effective ways to find the right employees.
Why Is Creative Recruitment Important?
According to wrike.com, the definition of creative recruitment is a way of finding, attracting, and hiring new job candidates through unconventional means. Gone are the days of drafting a job description, posting it online, and reviewing resumes until you come across a candidate that looks qualified enough for the open position.
There is not much left of the conventional world these days, and recruiting is one of them. If you are relying on typical hiring methods, you may have a harder time. Showcasing your brand's personality by thinking outside the box and implementing creative recruitment practices will allow you to attract candidates you may not have applied otherwise and outshine some of the companies you may be competing with in the job market.
Best Practices For Hiring Top Talent
Create A Job Description That Reflects Your Company Brand
It's essential to be upfront about your company's brand and culture. Reflect on who you are as a brand and what that means when working for your company. While that may have been a conversation you waited to have in the past, most candidates look for specific attributes they like in a brand before they even upload their resume.
Implement Skill Tests
Skill tests are a great way to get a feel for a candidate's work. Through skill tests, you can test real-life scenarios that will come up in the workplace. This will help you narrow down candidates that have a greater chance of success in the role after you've said, "welcome to the team."
Be Flexible And Open-Minded
There will always be requirements you look for when hiring, but remember to be flexible and consider other aspects if a candidate seems qualified but only meets some requirements. Looking for the perfect person will only hinder the process. Instead, allow yourself to explore candidates you may not have previously; you will be pleasantly surprised.
An employee policy could also help you establish your small business as a flexible and open-minded environment.
Leverage Social Media
Ah, social media continues to be a great, FREE resource to get a lot of eyes on your message. Get your listing on all your social media platforms! Everyone who follows and likes your pages can now share that your company is hiring! Beyond the vast amount of impressions you can get, you can reach an audience you may not have reached otherwise. Someone may be inclined to share your open role because they like your brand. So get those social posts going!
Consider Internal Talent
While this may seem more traditional, it often gets overlooked. If you have a loyal employee that is willing to learn and eager to grow with your company, this could be a great way to fill your open role. You will save yourself a lot of time and money by hiring within, and when employees see room to grow in the company, productivity can also increase. Allow your staff to feel motivated by what they can achieve within your organization and show dedicated employees there are chances to develop their careers with you. It's a win for everyone.
Create A Diversity And Inclusion Statement
Diversity and inclusion are necessary talking points, and most qualified candidates would like to be made clear on your organization's stances on this before even applying. Make a note of where your company stands on important topics like these. It doesn't have to take up a huge portion of your job description and can be revisited in the interviewing process, but including these crucial points can often encourage top talent to apply
Creative Ways To Attract New Talent
Now that we've gone over, in detail, some best practices for hiring top talent, let's go over creative ways to attract new talent. The goal is to ensure your company's job posting catches the eye of as many qualified candidates as possible.
Choose Targeted Job Boards
Now that we can target consumers, we can also target candidates. Targeted job boards allow candidates in targeted departments to upload their resumes in searchable databases. Targeting your posts means you are getting top talent actively seeking open roles in companies like yours right at your fingertips. Again, this is a great way to narrow down your search.
Establish Good Fringe Benefits
Let's be honest; one major draw to jobs is the benefits offered. Offering fringe benefits like a car to commute to and from work, the ability to work hybrid, great compensation plans, or even offering an excellent match for a 401K will make a difference. Today, benefits are getting as creative as the hiring process, with beer cart Fridays and unlimited PTO at the forefront of job descriptions. Determine what works for your company and what your company can afford, and make sure it's listed. Benefits matter and are often the deciding factor in whether or not someone will apply for a job.
Host A Networking Event
Networking is a great way to meet candidates and increase employee engagement scores. Even for future roles, you have yet to develop. Whether the networking event is digital and allows you no geographical restraints or is held in person, making that face-to-face connection and opening the floor for organic conversation can make all the difference when you're looking to add to your team.
See how could an engagement model help you increase productivity once you’ve hired your new employees.
Develop A Talent Transformation Plan
According to scottmadden.com, a talent transformation plan identifies, develops, and deploys talent within an organization. Just as hiring internally for open roles can motivate existing employees, a talent transformation plan can showcase to new candidates that you are invested in growing your employees' careers. Not only does this help with hiring, but it also helps with retention, and as we know, retention saves you time and money.
Encourage Employees To Refer New Talent
Referrals from dedicated employees are a great way to hire new talent. Employees who enjoy working for you will be eager to encourage their qualified connections. This will also show your team you trust and value their work and opinions. Often companies offer monetary incentives when an employee successfully refers and helps employ a new hire (as long as they remain in the role for an allotted time.)
Add A Careers Page To Your Website
Top talent is always out there looking to move or grow with a different company. Having a careers page allows you to showcase which roles are open and even can allow you a place to accept resumes for positions you are not hiring for. This is a no-brainer, especially if you have high organic traffic, with new eyes constantly on your website.
Turn Your Employees Into Brand Ambassadors
There is no one better to represent your brand than the employees who enjoy working for you. If you can trust your employees to be your brand ambassadors, deploying this tactic can successfully reach top talent. People trust their friends, and if they back your brand, they will feel more inclined to apply and accept a position at your company.
GCE, Recruiting Outside of the Box
Recruiting can seem impossible, especially when you're not succeeding. Not to mention the pressure you feel when there is an open role in your organization. GCE is here to help with your recruiting needs using a proprietary, proven process. We go to great lengths to find you great candidates. So let's get started on filling your open roles today.