Whether an organization is looking for engineers, IT workers, or healthcare professionals, they must engage in proactive recruitment practices. Engaging with talent in advance is often less stressful, provides a better candidate experience, and improves the quality of each hire. The following are several recruitment initiatives and ways to use them to your advantage.
Involve Current Employees
When implementing proactive hiring best practices, you’ll want to start with your current employees. Your employees are your brand ambassadors in and out of the workplace. There are a few steps you can take to successfully involve current staff in the recruitment process.
- Set Up Referral Programs: Referral programs must be easy to use and provide rewards your employees want. For best results, a company will likely want to consider a hybrid referral program that bases rewards on both volume and quality.
- Announce Openings Internally: You should consider letting employees know about job openings before publicly announcing them. Your average employee has a treasure trove of contacts at their fingertips. For example, a recent study states that most employees have an average of 930 LinkedIn contacts.
Develop Partnerships with Universities
Building partnerships with universities and colleges will create ongoing connections to potential job candidates. Companies can pursue several options when building strategic partnerships.
- Attend College Career Fairs: Some organizations may think that attending in-person college career fairs isn’t worth it since most recruiting takes place online. This isn’t true. You can make the most of career fairs by sending your most knowledgeable people and following up later with students who showed interest in your company.
- Establish Co-ops and Internship Programs: Co-ops are programs where students alternate between working in a particular industry and spending time at the university. Internships are normally part-time and unpaid. Successful co-op and internship programs require a business to take the time to develop specific plans and put together a supervising team, but the long-term benefits can be substantial.
Engage Your Local Community
Your organization should be involved with the surrounding community for many reasons, not the least of which includes proactive recruitment.
- Host Workshops: An example might include providing training for underrepresented groups in your industry. A company might also have employees host a Q&A event on topics in which they have experience or expertise. Hosting fun seasonal or holiday events is a way to cast a wide net and bring in a diverse group of potential employees.
- Promote Community Service: Companies can put together a community service team to partner with organizations related to their industry. These might include charities that provide free healthcare, educational services, or IT support. Sending a few employees to volunteer, even for a few hours a month, is enough to build connections.
- Join Professional Organizations: Every company will likely benefit from joining the local Chamber of Commerce. Depending on your industry, you might also encourage your leadership team to join other local organizations, such as Small Business Administration (SBA) groups and relevant industry associations.
Implement Targeted Social Media
Too many organizations create generic Facebook posts or YouTube videos and wonder why they’re not attracting many followers or potential hires. When crafting social media messages, you’ll want to get specific.
Examples include posting information about specific job openings on Facebook or LinkedIn. You might also want to use recruitment videos on YouTube featuring employees interacting in the workplace. These types of videos are specific and separate you from every other company.
Refresh Your Website
An attractive, easy-to-navigate website is a must, whether you’re hoping to attract new customers or potential employees. A few simple updates can go a long way.
- Update Your Careers Page: Keeping a current careers page is essential. Write detailed job descriptions for all current openings. You might also want to add a mission statement and employee reviews.
- Create Mobile-Friendly Sites: An increasing number of individuals are now using mobile devices for everything from banking to job searching. It’s imperative that your website looks great and is manageable from a mobile device.
- Conduct Monthly Maintenance: At least once a month, have your IT team or an individual with IT knowledge examine all aspects of your website. This includes making sure all plug-ins, links, and buttons are working. All content should be error-free, and images should be clear and relevant.
Work with Experienced Recruitment Professionals
You’re busy running your business and may not have the time or resources to find the best candidates. Partnering with an experienced recruitment team can save you money and time and reduce turnover rates.
Since 1965, MRINetwork has been providing exceptional recruitment services. Today, they have more than 200 firms in over 40 countries. With expertise and an extensive network, they can connect you to exceptional leaders and help you fill all hiring gaps. Contact MRINetwork to get started today.