In order to meet candidate expectations of consumer-grade technology in the recruitment process, organizations are making it simpler and easier to apply for roles. On average, a job opening receives an overwhelming 250 - 800 applications. The challenge for recruiters is sifting through the large pool of potential candidates to find the best fit. Sometimes it may feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Hiring great talent is necessary for a business to thrive, both financially and culturally. Recruiting is a time-consuming and costly endeavor, so discovering too late that someone isn’t the right fit for the role or company can leave you back at square one. Hiring ‘the one’ – the person who has the necessary skills and behaviors to contribute positively to the team – will help your organization thrive.
It’s crucial to get the hiring process right from day one. So how can recruiters and hiring managers easily identify top talent?
5 techniques to identify the talent that would be best suited for the job you want to fill
Showcase your company values.The first step is to attract top talent to you by creating a public company profile that clearly demonstrates your business’ core values. Candidates who are looking for a new job or are in their initial rounds of the hiring process will often flock to a company’s website OR the company's employer page on DIGGER, blog, social media, etc. to learn more about the role. By making sure your mission, core values, and company culture are clearly stated, you’ll increase your chances of attracting those who identify with them and embody the characteristics you want in an employee.
Lead with transparency. From the very beginning of the hiring process, it is crucial to set clear expectations around the responsibilities of a role and what you’re looking for in a candidate. This entails being open about your work policies, internal communication, role requirements, and compensation, among other things. This helps to quickly see when candidates are not in alignment with the role and your business needs and identify those who are the right fit.
Explore opportunities outside of your local candidate pipeline. In the current hiring landscape, limiting yourself to local candidates will only hinder your ability to surface qualified employees who can bring a new set of multifaceted ideas to your organization. As remote work continues for many businesses, now is the best time to extend your hiring efforts to markets with unsurfaced potential.
Hire based on skills, not labels. Hiring employees on the basis of their skills should always take preference over their pedigree. Self-taught candidates not only demonstrate a proactive will to expand upon their skill set but can potentially also be a better fit than one who has a series of degrees behind their name. When evaluating a candidate, be sure not to fall into the pedigree bias and overlook candidates who have clearly demonstrated their skills in favor of a lesser-qualified individual who holds a specific degree.
Leverage digital solutions. Digital tools such as hiring marketplaces offer the ability to tap into a large and highly-qualified candidate pool and are consistently advancing to better identify the best-fit candidates for your business needs. AI-driven tools can be particularly useful in bringing pre-vetted candidates to the forefront, saving recruiting and HR teams time that would otherwise be spent on pre-screening interviews, inbound resume screens of unqualified candidates, and messaging unresponsive, passive candidates.
3 ways to attract and engage the best talent in an industry
Deepen your talent pool. In 2020/2021, many employers have discovered that expanding the geographical boundaries of their talent pool helps them source better-suited candidates while also improving diversity on their teams. Our research has shown that by choosing to hire for local and remote roles, companies have been able to increase the number of top applicants by a minimum of 84%, depending on the role.
Your values matter more than ever. Job seekers — especially younger generations — want to work for companies that share their values and whose mission they can identify with. Companies that can clearly articulate what they stand for and who they are will stand out from the crowd and attract the right talent.
Prioritize your existing employees. Word of mouth is still an incredibly powerful tool for any recruiter and your existing employees will always be your most important advocates. If your existing workforce feels proud of where they work and are excited about the opportunities given to them, that sense of fulfillment finds a way of making it to potential candidates as well.
Focus on College Recruiting Want to win big? Target young adults early in their careers. The more you can do with interns and recent grads, the better. Implement job shadowing programs for high school students, create internship programs for high school and college students, participate in college recruiting and hire entry-level grads for as many positions as possible. To identify these individuals, know where to look. Seventy percent of Millennials say they hear about companies through friends and job boards. Additionally, it's important to know what they care about - be sure to include growth opportunities, career growth and company culture highlights in your job descriptions. Eighty percent of Millennials look for people and culture fit with employers, followed closely by career potential - 60 percent of Millennials consider the most attractive perk to be growth opportunities.
While finding qualified job candidates for hard-to-fill positions is no easy task, these methods are effective ways to arrive at the finish line with the talented hires you are pursuing.
How managers at your organization interview candidates matters and will show up in company reviews. To get involved in the conversation on DIGGER and start managing and promoting your employer brand reputation, unlock your Free Employer Profile today.
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