With the unemployment rate at a record low, your company may be having trouble finding qualified candidates. So, what should you do? Guess what? It’s time to get creative. Check out these innovative strategies for recruiting new talent.
Manufacture Talent
According to staffing expert, Scott Wintrip companies can create or “manufacture” candidates for open positions. Manufacturing programs like internships and on-the-job training provide potential hires with experience and new skills, while cross-training programs provide current employees with the skills needed for advancement. Despite the potential of this approach, Wintrip claims it remains widely underutilized.
Host Events
Free events are another smart way to attract talent. Companies may choose to host a coffee break or happy hour at an industry conference or to offer free training sessions or a speaker series on their corporate site. Of course, there will be a cost. But when targeted to the correct audience, these events can be a wonderful networking and recruiting opportunity.
Join Online Communities
For more cost-effective networking, businesses can organize and participate in online communities. For example, Facebook and LinkedIn Groups are a fantastic place to meet people with similar interests and to participate in industry-related conversations. Once again, targeting is key. After all, it’s difficult to meet an accountant in an engineering chat room.
Stay in Touch
Finding potential candidates is the first step in the process. In addition, organizations must convince people to join their team. Although events and training sessions are amazing ice breakers, hiring managers and supervisors must nurture these relationships. Ongoing outreach may include extending invitations to future events, sharing helpful information through email and social media as well as letting people know about possible job openings at the company. This type of recruiting takes time, but attracting a superstar employee makes it well worth the effort.
CrowdSource
When businesses advertise job openings through traditional methods, they have a limited reach. Even if they use job boards, social media, and their website, only so many people are looking. That’s why savvy organizations invite their team members to serve as ambassadors. Let’s say five employees like or share a job post. Then, five of their friends like or share the post, and so on. The potential for visibility is exponential. Plus, research shows people are more likely to trust recommendations from friends and family. Therefore, shared job posts may attract more attention than the original. However, this type of networking should be strictly voluntary. You want your employees to be genuinely excited (not forced) to share opportunities.
Are You Looking for More Creative Strategies to Recruit New Talent?
If your organization is having trouble finding the people you need, FirstStaff is here for you. We’ve been helping businesses across Arkansas solve their staffing challenges since 1973. Learn more about the benefits of recruiting and hiring through us today!
