We all know the usual process for finding new employees. Advertise a job. Read resumes. Conduct a telephone interview. Conduct a face-to-face interview. Choose someone. The steps to recruiting new talent have been the same for decades, leaving many people to think these are the only way to find new employees.
There are many top-notch employees that you might not be reaching if you don’t change your strategy, however and these days there are many new and exciting ways to reach out to possible staff and attract qualified employees to your business. All you have to do is be willing to be creative in your thinking.
Besides you, who knows better what you need in an employee than your current employees? Not only do they know what you need, they can vouch for the people they recommend. Using an employee referral program can save you the costs associated with advertising a position, undergoing extensive interviews, and then training and retraining employees who don’t work out.
How does it work? Your employees recommend people for a job with your company and if their recommendation is successful they get a reward. This can be a cash bonus, a gift, additional days off work, or the opportunity to work from home for a few days.
Make sure the program’s details are clear: does the referred employee just have to be hired for the benefit to kick in, or do they have to work at your company for a specific period? Does the gift get more extravagant if they recommend more successful recruits?
Keep the rules simple and make sure all employees know about the program.
Social media isn’t just a great way to build your customer base, it’s also a fantastic way to build interest in working for your company. Employees of all ages—but especially younger generations—use some form of social media to look for work. That could be LinkedIn, but it can also mean Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or a variety of other sites.
Even if someone who sees your post isn’t interested, they may share it with their friends or followers, who will share it with theirs, vastly increasing your reach. Be sure you know who your target candidates are and what social media channels they use, and tailor your ads or posts to them.
If you have the time to have a long-view of recruiting, start building your company’s employment brand online early, by releasing content that highlights your corporate culture. People may see those posts and come to you so you can build your talent pool. At the very least, you’ll already be on their radar when it comes time to hire.
Just because someone wasn’t the best candidate for a job in the past doesn’t mean they aren’t now. There could have been many factors that resulted in that person not being the best fit at that time. Perhaps they’ve taken courses or developed their experience since you interviewed them.
When you interview people that you really like but they don’t quite make the cut, keep their resume on file and consider reaching out to them when a position opens up. You never know when the time will be right for them.
There are many things you can do that can be successful in finding the right employee for your business. As an added bonus, some of these strategies won’t necessarily cost you a lot of time or money and may get you highly qualified and loyal employees.
Try some of them the next time you’re hiring and see if that gets you the candidates you need.
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