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Make Recruitment Work for You in a Tight Labor Market

Make Recruitment Work for You in a Tight Labor Market

Business owners who desire to hire top talent will be required to add a measurable degree of strategy to their efforts in the coming year. Many companies have developed their own recruiting strategies through the use of available technology. This practice is needed when individuals searching for jobs are in a power position and are also benefiting from technological advances.

Thomas Handcock, of Gartner Recruiting Leadership Council, explains the labor market is based on supply and demand. The market also is driven by talent and the unprecedented amount of information now available to potential employees regarding workers.

The following strategies are used effectively by the HR departments of successful companies to find the talent to fuel company efforts in today’s competitive market.

Go Mobile

One consulting firm providing staffing services for companies explains the importance of leveraging the intimate relationship people have with their mobile devices. The ‘always-on’ nature of mobile devices allows job recruiters to interact with candidates through text and other forms of instant messaging.

Emails and phone calls are still sometimes useful but texting should be a priority.

The use of mobile devices to update social media also gives employers a tool to monitor the needs and characteristics of job candidates.

Assess How Candidates Fit Company Culture

HR departments and recruiters understand finding the perfect hire requires more than assessing job experience and qualifications. It has been proven that hires who fit into the culture of a company and get along well with coworkers result in a much lower turnover rate. New employees also experience more satisfaction with their jobs when the environment fits their personalities.

Individuals that may be a little short on experience may deserve a second look if the candidate fits well with the culture of your company. Likewise, a candidate with great qualifications who has a personality that does not mesh with company culture may not be the best choice.

Approach Employee Recruitment Like A Marketer

Securing the best talent for your company means you need a good pool of candidates from which to choose. There are tech tools available that use algorithms to locate the best possible job candidates. Ads for candidates can also be placed on various social media platforms.

It is also important to understand talented workers are not only interested in the job duties and compensation explained on job postings. They also want to know what they will spend their time working on. Your marketing efforts should also demonstrate the day to day work environment and activities within your company.

Special Tools And Services For Employee Recruitment

Social media platforms like Linkedin and Periscope are a great place to find marketers, writers, and other candidates for employment. Many companies use various recruitment strategies and have experienced increased success by including social media.

Linkedin is has become the industry standard for social media recruitment. If your company doesn’t already have a company page on Linkedin you are missing out on a huge opportunity. However, just creating a LinkedIn page and leaving it is just as ineffective as not having one at all. Instead, you should work on optimizing your Linkedin company page so it will make it easier for potential hires to find you. This can be done by filling out areas such as the description for your company, the company specialties section, and the brief main message.

Linkedin isn’t the only social media platform for recruitment. You can use Periscope to meet applicants through a live Q&A. This allows you to be able to stream from anywhere you have internet access but the same flexibility is offered to potential applicants. This live Q&A will also allow you to share your company culture through broadcasting from a company event or a workplace party.

Utilize Freelancers Whenever Your Budget Won’t Allow a Full-Time Hire

Freelancers are an effective bridge over any talent gaps your business may experience. They can be especially useful in the beginning stages of your operation when you may not possess the budget to afford recruiters.

The internet provides a simple and low-cost way to locate and review independent contractors in every field. You should also keep a depth chart to assess the quality of work performed by each freelancer you use to complete work. By doing so, you will develop a go-to list of independent contractors to use whenever you have work that needs to be done.

The Bottom Line

The marketplace to recruit talent to your business is constantly growing more competitive. This fact makes it necessary to take a strategic approach to locate new hires. The five methods above will give you a solid foundation to make your recruitment efforts as beneficial as possible to your company.

About the Author

Robert Cordray is a former business consultant and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience and a wide variety of knowledge in multiple areas of the industry such as corporate leadership, employee engagement, workplace culture and entrepreneurship. Robert earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Chicago. He currently resides in the Southern California area and spends his time helping consumers and business owners alike try to be successful. When he’s not reading or writing, he’s most likely with his beautiful wife and three children.

 

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