Hiring the perfect candidate is a tricky process, one that takes a lot of patience and understanding. Skilled candidates seem to be an increasingly rare find, in fact, according to the Gartner CIO Agenda Report: “66 percent of CIOs believe there is a talent crisis in the world”.
The survey was done to determine the best strategies for hiring high-quality applicants in the most efficient way. Our advice would be to take recruitment seriously and don’t look at it as a chore. VP of marketing at recruitment software Greenhouse Maia Josebachvili said that if a company is to be successful, they should treat the recruitment process as a strategic driver of business.
Before embarking on your recruitment process, make sure you consider these three things:
1. Match company culture to candidate
75% of candidates applying for a job say that company culture has a strong influence on which company they choose to work for. You need to work out who it is you’re trying to attract to the role; who is your ideal candidate? Cater this brand and culture promotion to the ideal applicant to ensure you beat competitors to the dwindling stream of talent.
Only 8% of employers use social media when recruiting, whereas social media is the 2nd biggest channel people use to look for jobs. Due to the rise of LinkedIn, it’s important not to underestimate the value of social media. Use this channel to promote your brand and company culture in front of your target audience. With so few recruiters using this channel, it could give your company an advantage.
2. Stand out from the crowd
Job boards dominate the way candidates are looking for jobs. 55% of people said that job boards are the main channel they use to find work. Not only this but if you’re looking on a job board, chances are you don’t have a specific company in mind. You can scroll through 100s of job descriptions, so it’s important that yours catches the eye.
Again, a good way to do this is to promote your brand and culture. Be clear and outline the job in detail, but without using company terminology that candidates may not understand. These will ensure your job description is of high quality, but to really stand out you should promote company perks and benefits. Maybe you have a free gym membership? Free fruit? Nobody stays past 5:30? All these will catch the eye of a potential candidate more than longwinded additional descriptions into the role.
Compensation remains the number one factor pulling people into jobs, so good pay, company benefits, and rewards will help you pull in that number one recruit.
3. Go big with referrals
Candidates that have been referred for a role by someone from within the company have the best track record for success. Of all types of application, those that came from referrals were said to be the highest quality, with 26% of Employers saying referred candidates were the strongest. Not only are they the best, but they also have the fastest hiring process. 25% of recruiters said that candidates referred to them were quickest to hire, the highest of any other type of application.
Make sure you chase up any referrals you might get for certain positions. It could also be worth encouraging in-house referrals. Offer a reward for anyone within the company that refers a successful candidate. This will benefit you but also boost morale in the work environment.
About the author: Ankit Sharma is a content analyst at Gartner. He is an engineer by degree and an editor by profession, he is skilled in handling content; be it print, multimedia or broadcast. He frequently writes about HR software and has over 5 years’ experience in his field.
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