Technological advancements have driven major changes in how companies recruit new candidates. The hiring process has been transformed by the availability of tools, including interview scheduling and video interviewing software. Before companies reach the interview stage, they first need to choose good recruitment methods so they can have a better talent pool of applicants. Without a good recruitment strategy, a company may be left searching through piles of resumes from applicants who do not fit the available positions or the company’s culture.
What Are Recruitment Methods?
Recruitment is one of the most important business strategies. When companies choose the right recruitment methods, they can find quality applicants, save money and training time, and reduce the chance of becoming mired in employment-related legal disputes. The following 10 recruitment methods are approaches that companies might consider when they are searching for the best recruitment methods.
1. Employee Referral Programs
Employee referrals are among some of the best recruitment strategies for businesses. Existing employees know the company culture and usually only refer candidates they consider to be a cultural fit. When employees are included in the recruitment process, they can share vacancies with people in their networks.
A good employee referral program should involve more than just asking employees to tell their friends to apply. Digital employee referral programs feature automations that reduce the administrative effort for the talent acquisition team and facilitate the referring process for employees.
When introducing a digital employee referral program, communication is key as employees must sign up for the program to get notified about new vacancies. Once they actively participate, employees share open positions with their network. People that are actively or passively looking for a new job see the vacancy and apply. Employees can give recruiters additional information on candidates and the talent acquisition team can keep referrers easily up to date on the status of their referral.
2. Internships
When businesses are exploring what recruitment methods to use, they might want to consider offering internships. Companies that offer internships can learn the strengths of individual interns. An internship can be used as a long-term interview process. During the internship, HR professionals can evaluate the interns and identify people who might be tapped to fill future vacancies.
A well-run internship program can be a good recruitment strategy for companies to use. Depending on the skill levels needed, companies can contact local colleges or universities to offer internships to students who are pursuing degrees in the desired fields. This is a win-win situation for both the businesses and the student interns. The companies will have a pool of interns that they can evaluate over a period, and the interns can gain valuable experience that they can use to propel their career forward.
3. Word-of-Mouth
A word-of-mouth recruitment strategy is more suitable for large brands since applicants apply to them every day. These employers have established brands and are often considered choice employers. These types of companies merely let people know that they are hiring, and they have plenty of applicants for their vacancies.
Less established companies may also benefit from using a word-of-mouth recruitment strategy under specific circumstances. If a company is in a town or city in which it is the biggest employer, a word-of-mouth recruitment method can work.
4. Recruitment Events
Networking at recruitment events can be a good way for companies that are planning to expand to attract suitable candidates. An event can include participating in job fairs, offering recruitment drives on college campuses, or hosting open days. However, participating in recruitment events can be expensive. Before deciding to participate in a recruitment event, the company should understand the specific qualities and skill sets that they are looking for in candidates.
A job shadowing program is a good way to find quality candidates while also promoting a company’s brand. Job shadowing programs allow businesses to let the community know that they are interested in helping to develop talent.
5. Social Media
Companies should include using social media in their recruitment efforts. According to Glassdoor, 79% of people who are looking for jobs use social media as a part of their job search. Since so many applicants search for jobs on social media channels, it makes sense for companies to go where the talent pool is.
Beyond LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, there are many other social media sites that can be explored for recruitment efforts. Posting vacancies on subreddits within Reddit can be a good way to reach quality candidates. Companies should ensure the social media platforms used for recruitment match their recruitment efforts with the right target audiences.
6. Better Job Postings
Increasing diversity in the workplace is a challenge for many HR professionals. To attract a greater diversity of candidates, companies should assess their recruitment efforts and the language they use in job postings. How a job posting is worded can discourage members of some groups from submitting applications. AI tools can be helpful for reviewing advertisements to identify problematic word choices that could put off women, minorities and other groups. These tools can scan numerous documents and predict which advertisements will be more successful in reaching the target audiences.
7. Candidates Are Evaluating the Companies Too
When companies think about what recruitment methods they should use, they need to recognize that an interview or telephone screening allows both participants to evaluate each other. Making a good impression on a candidate is critical for businesses that want to attract quality candidates. Companies should strive to make interviewees feel valued and to let them know that the interviewers are excited to meet and interview them.
To make the best impression on prospective employees, companies should keep the following things in mind:
- Respect their time and show up on time.
- Be welcoming and hospitable.
- Provide the interviewer’s contact information in case the applicants have any questions or concerns.
- Follow up with interviewees who are not selected in a friendly, respectful way.
8. Structured Interviews
Structured interviews, in which the questions are carefully researched, and all candidates are asked the same questions, are much better predictors of how a candidate might perform on the job. Carefully researching interview questions ensures the right questions are asked and can help hiring managers make better decisions. The process should be driven by data and re-evaluated to assess the efficacy of the structured interview questions. Removing certain questions that are not found to be helpful in candidate selection can make structured interviews even better predictors.
Asking the same questions of all candidates and comparing their answers allows hiring managers to see which candidates provided answers that are more in line with the company’s vision and culture. In-person interviews can help companies to understand how a candidate expresses themselves. However, some people are more uncomfortable during interviews. Companies may unwittingly pass up talent simply because people might not perform well during an interview.
9. Asking for Work Samples
Asking candidates to complete a short work sample can help businesses to assess their skills. For example, content marketers frequently are asked to complete writing tasks so that companies can get an idea of their writing abilities. Using work sample tests can help hiring managers to predict how well an applicant might perform. However, they might not be as effective for candidates who do not have previous experience. In those types of cases, the candidates’ learning ability will need to be assessed to predict whether they will be able to adapt to the organization’s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is full life cycle recruiting?
Full life cycle recruiting includes all the phases of the hiring process from identifying candidates, recruiting and interviewing to selecting a candidate and making an offer. For many companies, a single HR professional will be responsible for all the steps. However, in larger companies, several people might be involved.
2. What are the key metrics to assess recruiting strategies?
Recruiting strategies should be analyzed and tracked by looking at the key performance indicators. These include things such as how many qualified candidates applied per job posting, the time-to-hire, the hiring source, the turnover rate, the cost-per-hire, and the rate of acceptance for offers.
3. What are some internal recruitment methods?
Internal recruitment methods occur when companies identify candidates in-house for advancement and promotion or to fill new roles. Some internal recruitment methods that companies can use to fill vacancies include the following:
- Transfers
- Promotions
- Internal vacancy postings
- Onboarding freelancers
- Employee referrals
- Bringing retired employees back part-time or on a freelance basis
There is no one-size-fits-all recruitment solution for all companies. Depending on size, culture and hiring needs, companies must find individual solutions for their recruitment. A digital employee referral program offers a very cost-effective and fast way of hiring candidates that fit the company. Find out more about how you can use employee referrals in your company.
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