It’s not easy to find top talent in today’s marketplace. In most cases, job candidates have the upper hand and can pick and choose where they want to work. And yet, hiring the best people for your open positions remains one of your top business priorities.
It may be challenging, but it’s a challenge you can rise to and overcome – even if it means reassessing and improving some aspects of your talent acquisition strategy and approach. To emerge a winner in the current highly competitive market, keep these tips in mind:
Know what you want.
Deep dive into your job profiles and descriptions to paint a picture of exactly what you’re looking for in the ideal candidate for a role. Invest time and energy up front to perfect these defining parameters, so you don’t find yourself spinning your wheels later on in your hiring process.
- Effective job descriptions provide a clear understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a particular position. When you clearly specify the requirements and qualifications for a role, it will be less likely that candidate who don’t fit this criteria will apply.
Focus on educational institutions.
Reach out to university career centers to source candidates and as a means of deepening your talent pool, before you actually show up on campus. Then, attend career fairs in person. At the same time, leverage social media and other technology to build ongoing relationships with soon-to-be grads. And don’t overlook the potential of robust internship programs.
Offer flexibility.
Regardless of the specific candidate you’re targeting, flexibility and work/life balance are sure to be a draw. Depending on the specific nature of your business and industry, you may need to get creative – but get to know your desired prospects personally and find out what they need when it comes to their work schedule. Think outside the box as needed to find common ground.
Utilize employee referrals.
Top talent knows – and attracts – other top talent. Develop and implement an employee referral program whereby your best current team members refer their own contacts to your organization. Offer incentives to employees who take part, especially if you wind up hiring people they refer.
Hire from within.
Before recruiting externally, consider the potential benefits of internal hiring. The right person for the job may already work for you. There are numerous benefits to hiring from within. Among them: trust and business knowledge are already established, you save time and money on training and onboarding, and you can boost team morale and loyalty.
Track your progress.
Continually monitor your talent recruitment progress so you can optimize it at every step. It’s not a sprint; it’s an ongoing marathon. And you want to get better and better to stay ahead of your competition.
Need more ideas? As you build and retain your winning workforce, consider partnering with PrideStaff Fresno. We specialize in matching leading employers with top talent in industries including accounting and finance, healthcare, insurance, legal, manufacturing, management and the skilled trades. Reach out to us today to learn more.