Regardless of industry, all successful businesses have one thing in common: they know how to recruit top talent. In today’s competitive job market, top talent acquisition presents some unique challenges that require recruiters to think outside of the box. For example, social media has largely transformed the way companies identify and attract talent. To locate top-notch talent and help your organization stand out as a desirable place to work, consider the following five tips:
Don’t rely solely on resumes. Traditional recruiting efforts focused primarily on candidates’ resumes. Positions were advertised in the newspaper or online and candidates faxed, emailed, or hand-delivered their resumes to the hiring manager. Additionally, websites like Career Builder or Monster allowed candidates to post their resumes online, so they were constantly available to recruiters and hiring managers. While these options are still widely used today, top talent acquisition often requires a different type of recruiting. With social media so widely used by companies and candidates alike, it makes sense that the recruiting process has been taken over by social media too. Top-notch candidates who are already employed might not take the time to respond to job advertisements or post their resumes on job boards. However, the majority of them are likely present on social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. In order to acquire top talent, recruiters and hiring managers have to actively seek out the best of the best on social media. Additionally, candidates’ social media profiles can often tell you more about them than a traditional resume ever could.
Expand your geographical search area. A common mistake companies make when recruiting is keeping the search local. While finding top talent locally might be the ideal scenario for many organizations, it’s not always easy– or even possible. Don’t discount the best candidates because of their location. With the technology available today, working remotely is often a very real possibility for many employees.
Allow your employees to advocate for the company. There’s no better marketing tool for your company than your current employees. Encourage your employees to use their social media accounts to promote the company. The best candidates want to work with other top-notch talent, so be sure to highlight your existing top performers during the recruiting process.
Create an employee-friendly company culture. Your company’s culture can make all the difference in your ability to recruit the best talent. If your company is known for having an employee-friendly culture that truly values its staff, you’re more likely to be able to recruit– and retain– top talent. What does a desirable company culture look like from the employees’ perspective? Factors like flexibility, open communication, the option to work remotely, team work, and a family-friendly workplace are most often cited by employees.
Be vocal about your company’s mission. What is your company all about? What do you stand for? What makes you unique? Be vocal about all of these things; make your mission known. Many people– and particularly Millennials— want to feel like they are working for a company that’s making a difference in the world. Speaking up for what you stand for can give you a leg up on the competition who are trying to recruit the same talent.
All companies wants to recruit the best and the brightest to join their organizations. In today’s technologically savvy world, the recruiting process looks entirely different than it did only a decade ago. If your company is currently in the market for some fresh talent, allow us to help with your search. We are a boutique staffing firm specializing in the finance, accounting, and administrative areas. Contact us today for more information.
