Your company is only as strong as the team that’s operating it. Finding the right talent to staff your operation requires a strong talent management strategy. Here are some recruiting tips that will help your organization improve.
1. Cultivate a reputation as a top-notch employer.
Top talent is looking for a great place to work, so it pays off to spend some time building your company’s reputation through a recruiting website, social media presence, and employer branding best practices.
2. Recruit from within the organization.
Part of your talent management strategy can include career pathing — a planning process that can include moving current employees up into more advanced positions when they become available (and when those employees have the right skills and experience.)
3. Use referrals from employees and others in similar positions.
A robust employee referral program can yield quality talent and fill needs even before you know you have them. It is also beneficial to ask contacts in similar positions for referrals, which can yield top talent you might not find otherwise.
4. Offer competitive pay.
Top talent knows what they’re worth, so you won’t be likely to attract them if you aren’t offering competitive pay, benefits, and opportunities. If your company can’t offer higher pay to a desired candidate, offering benefits like a flexible schedule, telecommuting, or extra time off can be attractive for some candidates that value work-life balance as much as more money.
5. Don’t get too fancy.
Hiring the candidate whose qualifications and experience most closely match the job description, or the top candidate interviewed, will typically yield the best talent. It’s important not to get distracted by impressive-looking qualifications if they aren’t what is needed for the job.
6. Trust, but verify.
Check references and do background checks/research on candidates before making the final decision to hire. Not only does an occasional candidate falsify qualifications and experience, but having a criminal record or other past transgressions might pose a liability risk for your organization.
7. Recruit even when you don’t have open positions.
Building an ongoing talent pool and developing relationships with top talent before a position even exists will make your recruiting easier over time. Having a talent pool you can turn to when a position opens up will increase your chances of a speedy transition with minimal disruption to your organization.
These tips are a starting point for an effective recruiting strategy. Recruiting for your company doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult, but it’s important to have a strategy and engage in best practices when seeking to fill positions. Learn more about recruiting in the upcoming “Recruitment & Staffing” course that is part of the HR Certificate Program offered by Central Connecticut State University’s Office of Continuing Education. Join our mailing list to get updates on upcoming courses being offered.