Top 3 Recruiting Strategies: Increase Your Odds of Landing the Best Candidates

What Is a Recruiting Strategy?  

Like everything else in business, you should have a plan of action to hire new team members. A Recruitment Strategy helps you organize your recruitment process and identify the right person to join your team!

Why Do You Need a Recruiting Strategy?

A Recruiting Strategy provides you with the tools you need to find the right person for the job. Your approach enables you to focus on the things that matter and streamline your hiring process. The more detailed you are in your strategy, the easier it will be to find your missing link.

Recruitment Strategies also lead to more qualified applicants and a more diverse workplace. They save you from wasting time trying to filter through applicants and eventually settling on an “almost-right" candidate.

There are numerous recruitment strategies you can explore, and it may take some trial and error to figure out which methods work best when finding new crew members.  

In this article, we’ve highlighted our top three Recruitment Strategies and how they’ll transform your hiring process.

Expand Your Talent Pool

If you fish in the same pond, you’ll only catch one or two kinds of fish. We’re not saying it’s time to abandon the traditional method of posting on job boards, but it’s also time to think out of the box.

When it comes to job boards, don’t limit yourself to one! The more boards you post on, the more eyes you’ll get on your listing.

And when it comes to stepping away from job boards, you can look for groups within your industry to share the job information with. For example, if you’re a technology company, you may want to send the application information to a group for “women in tech”.

Social media has also become a powerful tool for reaching more potential applicants. If you post job openings on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you’ll open the door to people who wouldn’t have found the posting elsewhere.

As you expand your talent pool, it’s crucial to audit your job listing for language that may be unconsciously biased. Describe the role using gender-neutral and age-neutral terms and lead by stating what the opportunity is for the candidate. When addressing the candidate, use the second-person “you” to avoid gender bias while adding a personal touch.  

Be clear about the position, but don’t include “must-haves” that aren’t actually necessary. For example, if you’re willing to budge on whether a candidate has seven years of experience or is highly proficient with Microsoft Office, don’t include it in the required section. Many people (especially women and minorities) won’t apply if they don’t feel as if they fit the bill 100%. If there are skills you’d like an applicant to have, but these traits aren’t dealbreakers, you can add an extra section.  

Treat Your Candidates Like Customers

The Recruitment Process is a lot like speed dating. But it’s also a lot like something else businesses are incredibly familiar with: The Sales Funnel

When you’re romancing someone, or you’re trying to convince them to buy your product, you spend most of your time trying to learn more about them while telling them how awesome you are. Recruitment is the same way.  

You start with a lot of leads, and you whittle it down until you get down to a couple of people that you could see yourself committing to. If you have a warm lead, you aren’t just going to drop them! You’ll follow up, tell them some more information about your unique selling proposition, and maybe throw in something to sweeten the deal.

You’d be surprised at how many companies don’t do the same for the people applying for a job.

No, this person isn’t giving you money, but this person has the potential to increase your revenue! What’s more, they’ve shown a direct interest in joining your team by submitting an application. There’s no reason you should ghost them during the process and make them rethink whether they want to join your team.

Even if things don’t work out for this candidate in this role, there may come an opportunity in the future that they’re perfect for. The best thing you can do is establish a fantastic relationship between your business and your top applicants, so they are more inclined to submit another application in the future.

Be respectful of the candidate’s time during interviews. They’re taking as much time out of their day as you are, and it’s essential to recognize that. Show up on time, and if you’re running behind, let them know as far in advance as possible.  

If you are welcoming candidates into your office for an in-person interview, be warm and welcoming. Offer them something to drink, show them where the restrooms are, and give them a brief tour. If they feel comfortable, they’ll likely have a better interview.

Last but not least, provide them with ways to get in touch with you if they have any follow-up questions. If they reach out, reply promptly.  

Use an Applicant Tracking System

Effortlessly create an end-to-end Recruitment Strategy with an Applicant Tracking System. These platforms save time and money by providing a streamlined approach to filling job openings.

There are multiple Applicant Tracking Systems you can take advantage of and plans that fit into any budget. The best part of these systems is their ability to help you curate a shortlist of the top applicants for the job.  

An Applicant Tracking System can take care of all aspects of your Recruitment Strategy, from optimizing your sourcing pool to creating branded applications to communicating with your candidates to sending out an offer to the perfect person.

In short, Applicant Tracking Systems do it all.  

Additionally, the platform increases collaboration with your HR team so you can work together to find the person you’re looking for. Many systems also include analytics capabilities so you can review your hiring process and make adjustments to your future recruiting strategies.

Thinking about using an ATS for your next hiring cycle? Have a look at Hirecinch.com and read what we offer as an ATS.  

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