When getting the word out about an open position within an organization, basic recruitment platforms are generally utilized—online ads or newspaper ads, a career page on the company’s website, and maybe even a job fair. When we think about how to attract quality candidates, we need to remember that the best candidates aren’t always looking for employment. This means the generalized “employee seeking” guidelines have the potential to hurt more than they help by taking up valuable time.If your organization is struggling to find quality candidates, you may need to tweak your recruitment strategy.

Stay Connected

The digital world has forever changed the methods of recruitment. Understanding how to optimize your candidate’s experience is now an essential skill for job recruiters everywhere.Social media is extremely accessible, making it a popular choice for not only finding candidates but making your organization stand out as well.A company’s social talent brand is how their mission and corporate culture are perceived via social media. This plays an important role in reducing the costs to hire and its ability to attract great candidates by standing out from the competition. Make sure your company’s voice is consistent across all social media platforms, and engage with your audience through posting, replying, photos and video. Utilizing and regularly updating social media platforms greatly ties in with building brand awareness.A Career Builder survey showed that 91 percent of candidates said that a company’s employment brand is a major factor in whether or not they apply.Branding is a term that describes the processes an organization utilizes to promote themselves as a desirable place to work in an effort to attract quality candidates. This concept is new in HR and is rapidly taking off as organizations become more competitive in the talent market. By giving people a sneak peek at what it’s like to work within your organization, you can build a pipeline of qualified people who want to come work for your company before a job is even available. This makes it easier, less time-consuming, and less costly to find quality candidates.Sometimes, the most effective recruiting is done the “old fashioned way”—word of mouth.Employee Referrals are an excellent way to draw in potential candidates. Encourage current employees to blog about their work and office culture, post photos, and positively engage on corporate social media pages.Referred candidates can take up less of a recruiter’s time compared to regular candidates. A study done by JobVite shows, on average, it takes 29 days to hire a referred candidate, 39 days to hire a candidate through a job posting, and 55 days to hire a candidate through a career website. The JobVite study also shows that employee referrals have the highest applicant to hire conversion rate—only 7 percent apply but this accounts for 40 percent of all hires.

Keep in Touch With Candidates

A company should watch out for talent before a job opportunity arises. Talent pipelining refers to building long-term professional relationships with passive candidates for future opportunities. This means familiarizing yourself with potential employees, regardless of whether or not they are looking to make a career change immediately.Developing a talent pipeline requires a different recruiting style. Your goal set should switch from wanting to fill an open position as soon as possible, to thinking about who your company would want to hire in the future. Talent pipelining can take a long time to develop and nurture, but in the long run, the benefit is worth the investment.Remember that active candidates are important too. Read over submitted resumes and follow up with a clear response reflecting your thoughts on whether or not you consider them as a potential candidate. Candidate communication is vital for identifying, developing, and sustaining relationships long before you need them, and can make the hiring process more seamless.

Professional Recruiters Can Help

A recruitment agency does more than simply file an online job posting and schedule interviews. Recruiters tend to have additional resources, plus an inside network of active candidates and passive candidates. They know what is out there and they’re trained to coach you on any questions you may have along the way.A good recruiter knows the industry they specialize in. They can provide everything from an understanding of the jobs being advertised by competitors, to shifting trends in salaries, to optimizing position description content. This additional insight will help ensure that your company’s offers are competitive enough to attract the best candidates.A recruiter can also assist with branding. In addition to your own branding efforts, recruiters can help provide your organization with tips and ideas to make you stand out from other companies and will advise candidates on the benefits of working for your organization. Recruiters network every single day, meaning they have access to resources and candidates that may not be easily attainable for employers. They are aware of people who may not consciously be looking for a job and wouldn’t necessarily have seen that you were advertising.Finding someone with the right qualifications, skills and experience is vital to any organization, but with evolving trends and competition, updated recruitment strategies are necessary. Taking additional time to network, build your brand, and communicate will prove to be beneficial in the long run.