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LinkedIn provides an excellent pool of candidates, but we find many recruiters are missing out on a whole separate group of qualified candidates because their process is lacking creativity. In other cases, the tech stack recruitment teams are using to uncover top talent is becoming crowded and muddy. Today’s hiring landscape is more competitive than ever which makes it even more important for your team to take the time to evaluate your process and current hiring strategy.
Cluen develops recruitment software used by in-house corporate sourcing and strategic recruiting teams all over the world. We spoke with some of our clients to uncover ways your team can take a more imaginative approach to recruiting top talent.
1. Diversify your research tools
Recruitment teams need to dig deeper and think outside the box when it comes to search. What if you didn’t have an applicant tracking system or CRM? What would happen if you didn’t have access to Linkedin? What other resources would you use to get your job done? Everyone has access to a lot of the same tools, but that doesn’t mean you have to use them all the same way.
Mike Chuidian, Sr. Talent Sourcer at Sears explains: “I would say my ‘go to’ research tool has to be tech forums. I use tech forums to see what technologists are talking about and if they're working on anything interesting. It also gives insight as to where tech is going from a progression standpoint. I also utilize tech blogs to find interesting, innovative engineers. I usually cross reference with LinkedIn to find out more about the technologists.”
Check out other resources like GitHub, StackOverflow, meetups, patent searches, Facebook and even Instagram. Run Google searches with simple or complex Boolean strings. The point is, look outside the box. Imagine how happy your hiring manager would be if you found your next Unicorn or Purple Squirrel on Instagram.
2. Sell the opportunity
When you are presenting an attractive opportunity to top talent, what makes your company and this position exciting and different? Give the candidate specifics such as what projects they will be working on. Your position will resonate much better if you provide candidates with real examples of past projects.
What are the company’s current pain points? Pretending like everything is perfect is boring and unrealistic. Make sure you can easily provide clear goals they will need to achieve as part of the assignment.
“People make a change in employment for a variety of reasons. In order to persuade someone to make a career move, it is essential to understand what motivates the individual and what it would take to consider a change”, explains Marty Belle, Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, Inclusion and Diversity at Grainger. “Assessing what is meaningful to the candidate and being able to pull those levers can attract the right talent. Additionally, it’s always important to share how your Company is Winning. Everyone wants to work for a company that is a leader in its market segment.”
It’s important that your intake with the hiring manager is solid. You need to have the answers to candidates’ questions besides the obvious (e.g., salary). Recruiters need to sell the awesomeness of the projects that the potential hires will be working on. If the assignment feels like it may change the world, the excitement will follow.
3. Boost your candidate’s experience & build up your brand
The biggest mistake I see recruiters make is failing to correctly vet the candidate. There are always going to be similarities in keywords and titles when you are running a search using any technology. You wouldn’t try to recruit a Java Developer from your competitor when the job is actually for a JavaScript Developer. Make sure you know the difference in roles and responsibilities before wasting anyone’s time.
Another way you can enhance your company’s brand is by being responsive. Leaving your candidate in the dark without even a rejection letter is a big no-no. That candidate may know someone your team should know, or they could end up being a perfect fit for a different opportunity. All it takes is one email at least thanking them for their time. There's nothing worse than ignoring candidates who may be a great fit for you down the line.
Chis Bell, Senior Executive Recruiter at Microsoft explains, “Effective storytelling can do wonders for your company’s brand. Whether delivered directly or through one of the many social channels, telling your company’s story gives you the opportunity to level the playing field against any competitor and create fans. I use storytelling daily to change the narrative about my company and light up our culture. Your story should be focused on getting the candidate to see themselves as the star of your company’s story. Candidate experience starts with the perception of your brand way before you engage with them. A great candidate experience continues by following up, keeping commitments, working with integrity, transparency, and fairness.
4. Find out what success means to your company and keep track of it
Most of our client’s definition of a successful sourcing opportunity varies greatly. It is not just about making placements. When it comes to talent acquisition metrics, we have seen a significant focus placed on tracking candidate retention and planning for career advancement.
Another common theme we see being tracked is engagement and recruiter effectiveness. How many qualified candidates did you speak with this month? What intel did you acquire? How many referrals did you get this quarter? Which executives did you end up poaching from your top competitor? Figure out what stats make the most sense and start tracking your metrics to measure what tactics help you reach your hiring goals.
Take a more creative approach when it comes to sourcing. Strengthen communication with your candidates and consider revamping your company’s story. Be sure to define and track your team’s vision of success when it comes to your sourcing and hiring efforts. In the end, tracking your metrics will help you discover what it takes to reach your hiring goals.
Cluen has decades of proven executive search database implementation experience spanning six continents. If you are thinking about your recruitment strategy for this year, we should be in communication about the next generation of Encore software.
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