The pandemic, changing job seeker needs, economic trends, and general uncertainty about the future makes recruiting in 2021 a challenge. While challenging, it’s not impossible. Sometimes the best leaders get so caught up in chasing the latest trends, that they lose sight of the fundamentals of recruiting, which can be detrimental to finding the right candidate.
As schools open back up for the fall and recruiters ramp up for what is sure to be a temperamental Q4 employment market, the employment world is going back to the drawing board in many ways.
Now is the perfect time for Hiring, Talent Acquisition, and HR professionals to take a page from our scholarly counterparts and study up on the basics of recruiting:
1. Writing: Create Appealing Job Descriptions
The most effective job postings are ones that engage, delight, and excite candidates. To attract the quality of candidates you are seeking, your job descriptions must tell a story so compelling job seekers can’t help but apply.
When thinking about your open opportunity, put yourself in Jenny Job Seeker’s shoes: What would matter most to you when finding a new role?
Keep the posting concise and point out what this role can offer a prospective candidate.
List the basics of the role using terminology the job seeker can understand.
If a job seeker can visualize themselves working in the role and feel the positive impact your position will have on their future, that visualization is will motivate them to apply.
2. Creativity: Use Multiple Resume Databases to Source Quality Candidates
If your goal is to attract top performers, remember, it’s always a candidate’s market. When it’s a candidate’s market, there are more opportunities available than the amount of (quality) candidates needed to fill each role.
If you want to fill your open role with a quality candidate, you’ll need to be proactive and seek them out. If you’re waiting around for good talent to come to you, that will show both in applicant quality and time-to-hire.
Here are some helpful tips when it comes to building a proactive sourcing strategy:
- Keep the skills your ideal candidate has top of mind.
Review the job description and make a list of skills and qualities you are looking for in an ideal candidate. Use this list to help you determine keywords to utilize in your Boolean searches when sourcing on resume databases. Read resumes for target qualities/skills. Don’t read them word-for-word.
Recruiting for an open position means that you’ll be looking through hundreds of resumes. You must be reading like a recruiter. Scan the text for key skills or experiences that match your target profile.
If you feel an applicant is a potential match, reach out to them. Recruiter Instinct is Real.
Sometimes candidates with the worst-looking resumes end up being the most qualified professionals for the role. If you are too rigid in your sourcing/hiring, you might miss out on the perfect candidate. If you find someone who doesn’t meet all the qualifications but you have a good feeling about them, trust your gut. Part of being a good recruiter is having recruiter instincts.You can weed out unqualified candidates once you have them on the phone by asking specific questions about the job requirements. Always err on the side of making that phone call. Because it may end up being worth your while.
3. ABC: Always Be Checking (Your Process)
When you’re recruiting, every day is different. The pandemic taught us all that what works one day in the employment market may not work the next. Continue to tweak your process based on trends you are seeing in the market. This will keep your approach fresh and allow you to evolve with the times.
4. Planning: Think about Your Overall Pipeline
Just because a candidate does not meet the requirements for one role doesn’t mean they are a bad candidate. They might be a great fit for another role coming down the pipeline.
Keep building relationships and maintain an organized pipeline of quality candidates you can reach out to for future openings. Rather than recruiting from scratch, when another position opens, you will be able to look through the candidates you have already identified as qualified. This will allow you to fill the role faster –and who doesn’t love a faster time-to-hire?
5. Compassion: Be Mindful of the Candidate Experience
The more you keep your candidates engaged, the better chance you have of placing them in an open role. Even if you do not have an update, reach out to your candidates and let them know you are waiting for feedback. This keeps up engagement and resets the clock.
You do not want to lose a quality candidate to a competitor. Communication is the key to any successful relationship.
Your Recruiting Report Card
Staffing and recruiting in any market can be tricky. Not only are you trying to find the right candidate for the role, but you’re also trying to find the right role for the candidate. When the market is tight and there is a talent shortage, this ask becomes even harder.
Even though the employment market and effective sourcing strategies may be changing, the basics of recruiting are still the same. If you find your strategy struggling, before turning to the new recruiting fad, try returning to the basics of recruiting. You may find a quick crash course in recruiting fundamentals is enough to build a hiring strategy that scores straight A’s with job seekers and hiring leaders.