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There are times when it’s easy to find a talented individual to fill a job post. There are many more times, however, that there seems to be a lack of qualified candidates. This can be because the current job market is employer-driven rather than candidate-driven. It can also be because your recruitment campaigns aren’t as productive as you’ve planned.
For the latter, you can find a helpful article here to spark some ideas. It’s largely geared towards real estate, but many of the suggestions are also applicable to a wide range of industries. Hopefully, you can pick up a few things that can help you kick-start a successful recruitment campaign.
While on the topic, here are a few things you can do to make sure that your recruitment efforts are as productive as possible:
Define Your Audience
It’s always a good idea to recruit at different levels of experience. When it comes to real estate agents, for example, a robust team is usually composed of both veterans and novices. This prevents the occurrence of “groupthink” and encourages the cultivation of different ideas from different perspectives.
That said, it’s also crucial to define your target audience based on the vacant position so you can hire the employee you truly want. There are certain jobs that can be handled by a diverse candidate pool, while there are some posts that are more suited to a select few. By identifying which jobs fit which groups, it will be easier to find the best candidates.
Defining your audience also makes it easier to craft your recruitment materials and ensures that your message will be well-received.
Define Your Goals
Obviously, the ultimate goal of recruitment is to hire the best person for the job. However, this is too broad or generic. In order to make good progress in your recruitment, you need to keep in mind the SMART mnemonic: specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time-based. These criteria will keep you on track, as well as help you develop efficient tactics to hit your targets.
If you’re new to developing SMART goals for recruitment, start by defining the who, how many, when, and how long of the job position. Then, simply elaborate on these points to arrive at a more solid objective.
Use the Right Platforms
Nowadays, recruitment is a multi-platform industry. You’re no longer limited to publishing classifieds on the paper; rather have an array of traditional and digital channels to announce your openings and publish your job ads.
The key is to know which platforms will help you achieve the above-mentioned SMART goals you’ve set for yourself. Depending on the kind of candidates you’re looking for (active or passive) and their level of experience, some channels may be more effective than others.
Usually, social media is the perfect platform for announcing job openings. With the sheer number of people logging on to a variety of social media sites daily, you can be sure that your posts will be seen by thousands. It’s also the perfect avenue to flex your creativity with regard to the type of content you put out. Meanwhile, job boards are better for more straightforward advertising of the job itself to reach active candidates.
If you’re trying a more direct approach, consider using email or even messaging apps. You’ve probably built a network of candidates, so you already have a way to contact them through these methods. Do note that depending on your business relationship and the message you want to send, email is often the more suitable choice between the two.
Stay in Touch
When you’re recruiting candidates, it’s bad form to not inform them of what’s happening to their application. Keep your communication lines open so that people can contact you for questions or clarifications. Even more important is to not wait until a candidate gets in touch with you to follow up. Be proactive and let them know about their application progress as soon as you can. This creates a positive candidate experience, which will reflect well on your organization.
Track Your Metrics Regularly
Last but not least, it’s important to measure your recruitment campaigns’ performance regularly. Compare your results with your SMART goals and see if you’re missing, hitting, or exceeding targets. Doing so will help you refine your strategies, so that you can continuously improve your performance.
You should also know the best times to conduct an evaluation of your recruitment campaigns. Annual and quarterly reviews are a given, but there are also other crucial times when you have to conduct reviews. These include after hiring using a new strategy, if there are changes in the job market, and if you’re noticing a negative trend in your results.
Much like any other job, recruitment is all about working smarter to be successful. Hopefully, these tips help your organization develop a viable recruitment campaign that can bring in the best candidates.Good luck!
