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Top Three Recruiting Strategy Tips

So we already talked about the struggles of retaining talent, but can we talk about the struggles of recruiting talent? Finding unique talent can be just as much of an effort for some businesses compared to retaining talent. But with these few strategies, you should have an easier time finding long-term talent. Here are our top three recruiting strategy tips.

Define Your Target

As we discussed in our post, Five Talent Retention Strategies to Minimize Turnover Rates, creating an ideal employee profile is a great way to define the type of employee you are looking for. It is also an excellent time to recognize if there are any flaws within your interviewing process.  As we have learned prior, sometimes we have biased beliefs within our thoughts and systems. You may limit yourself because you can only perceive one type of person fulfilling your open position.  For example, a company may have a management position available but only believe a man can fulfill that role. They may also think only a person of a specific race or ethnicity or with a specific educational status can take on that position. As a result, they turn down any applicant that does not fit what they are looking for.  If you think this way, do not be ashamed. Many of us have been trained to think a certain way, but these are things we can unlearn. And it is our responsibility and duty to question the status quo while constantly evaluating all aspects of what someone can bring to the role and the team. Bringing in someone that does not fit the status quo can bring new ways of thinking and experience/knowledge that can help the team be more creative. When defining your ideal employee, focus on what strengths, goals, skills, etc., they have rather than their demographics. In other words, focus on what kind of person they are. What are their hopes, attributes, aspirations, and values? Focusing more on the psychographics of a person rather than their demographics will help you acquire unique talent that fits precisely what you are looking for.

Tailor Your Questions

After you define your ideal employee:

  1. Tailor your interview questions around your target.
  2. Think about the competencies the individual needs to be successful in the role.
  3. Ask questions around the defined competencies and ask follow-up questions to ensure you are getting in-depth answers. For example, an accountant needs to have the competency of “attention to detail.” Ask questions about their experience with attention to detail. You can even provide a case study and ask how the candidate would answer/proceed/deal with the situation.

Competency-driven questions are a great way to dive into the capabilities of the candidate and who they are. Do not just look at their resume and ask them what role they played at their last job. Ask them why they chose that specific job. What was their goal, and did they achieve it?

You can also ask them their reason for applying to your job opening. What motivates them day in and day out? What are the top five things they value in life and why? How do they plan to live out the company values in the role they are applying for?

There is nothing wrong with asking the usual interviewing questions, but feel free to ask more in-depth questions to get an idea of who they are and if they fit your company.

Be Wary 

Be wary of asking the “Why should we hire you” question that many interviewers like to ask. While there is nothing wrong with the question, remember that you need talent just as much as the talent needs a job. 

Create a positive Candidate Experience

Before you post your role and take that first call with the first candidate, take the time to build your entire recruiting plan. That should include the following:

  • A detailed job description that can be used for posting online.
  • Competencies needed to do the role successfully.
  • Who will be a part of the interviews internally (the hiring manager, recruiter/agency, anyone in the hiring team, maybe internal clients the role will be supporting, potentially subject matter experts, or even local management, etc.). And make sure you involve your interviewers, so they know what is being asked of them.
  • Structure of the candidate workflow. This means what the first contact is and by who (typically an intro phone call by the recruiter/agency). What is the next step? Is that the hiring manager doing a deep dive? Or is there an interview panel that goes next? Make sure you have the flow in place so that candidates are not placed on hold while the team figures it out. This can lead to losing great potential candidates and the candidate having a bad experience (which can lead to bad social reviews). Make sure you include a step that has the hiring manager circle back with their interview team to get feedback and understand what areas may concern them or gaps that were not addressed. This allows the hiring manager to understand what questions need to be discussed in the next (maybe final) interview.
  • Approved/Understanding of what the company has budgeted for the role (salary bands) plus any additional items that this role may require to close the deal with a candidate (commissions/bonus, equity, cell phone allowance, etc.).
  • Initial onboarding plan

Make sure to let your interviewees know what to expect at the beginning and throughout the process, how valuable they are, and that you value their time. This sets the tone for your company and makes your potential talent feel appreciated. This also sets the tone for a potentially healthy professional relationship.

Need More Help?

Finding unique talent can be just as hard as retaining talent, but with these three practical strategies, finding talent can become much more manageable. If you need more tips and recruiting strategies, please subscribe below for more. And as always, we are here if you need anything.

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