What is one way your recruitment strategy has shifted over the past six months to attract candidates?
This question was posed to talent professionals for their insights. From leveraging Clubhouse and employee referrals to picking up the phone, here’s what they had to say:
Up until the last few months, the first time we spoke to job candidates was during their first job interview. Now, we conduct a short, pre-screening phone interview first. This way, we get a feel for our candidates and they get a feel for our company before we decide to interview them and they decide to come in for the interview. We save everyone time, energy, and money. It is a lot more effective! — Struan Baird, Co-Founder, Luxury Scotland Tours
In recent months, I have widened my efforts to help candidates with work-life harmony. Human health and workplace changes over the past two-plus years have created an environment in which candidates want to feel care, consideration, and thoughtfulness about living full lives. I have found it beneficial to prioritize diversity and flexibility as to hours, location, work style, career path, “benefits” versus pay structures that may be more open, health, and related topics. Consultation and being a sensitive business friend are key — broadly helping the candidate rather than focusing on one’s own needs. — Michael Foltz, Senior Recruiter, Human Bees
My approach has shifted to relying more on my talent farms. As recruiters, we all get hundreds of messages simply asking for help (with a resume, interview coaching, career path questions, etc). I make it a point to help; I set aside one to two hours per week during lunch to field some of these questions and, more importantly, to help entry-level tech people. — Matthew Jones, Senior Information Technology Recruiter, VIP Tech Consultants
With the outpouring of candidates seeking new opportunities in today’s market, finding the right talent isn’t always so easy. While your typical job board and social media platforms are great resources to find top talent, I’ve had to employ some creative sourcing strategies. My sourcing has shifted to include Google searches and custom search engines. To stay on top as a recruiter in this ever-changing landscape, you have to be able to adapt and shift your recruiting efforts and strategy accordingly. — Letticia Pierrez, Recruiting Manager, Robert Half
Our team is building virtual communities and following conscious-leadership principles such as being strong allies. My teammates have been focused on leveraging their network of conscious leaders to create mastermind groups to find and nurture talent. Personally, I have been building tech and DEI communities via the social audio app Clubhouse. I have been hosting weekly rooms about leadership, technology trends, being a strong community ally, and creating a sense of belonging. My Clubhouse group partners with 400+ employee resource groups to create tool kits about being stronger DEI allies. This allows for us to build stronger communities and talent pools together both virtually and in real life. — Joseph Yeh, Recruiting Manager, DotConnect
Candidates are being inundated by recruiters in today’s tight labor market. Make sure that you have a good employee candidate referral program that pays out at least $1,000 to $5,000 to the employee after 90 days for candidates who are hired. Candidates will listen to a friend who suggests that a person would be a good fit at their company. — Scott Baker, Founder and CEO, Stage 3 Leadership
In addition to the current shortage of skilled workers, I notice that working just to make money has become less relevant lately. Just making ends meet is not enough. Today’s workforce is looking for more meaning and purpose. An honest employer branding strategy becomes even more important. Communicating the company’s added value and purpose to potential applicants is therefore crucial. — Matt Radulescu, Senior Human Relations and IT Recruiting Manager, iTEC Informationssysteme AG
We actively recruit candidates from all over the country. The strategy has created so many opportunities to engage a vast pool of talented, passionate people, with different perspectives and skill sets. Distance doesn’t stop a person from excelling in their role — the ideal candidate can be six or 600 miles away from the office. We still want to talk with them. There is no reason to limit where our next team member comes from. — Jessica Arias, Director of People and Culture, OnPay Payroll Services
